4311
by AkaneHotaru
Summary: Jake runs away from home; something he has in common with Heaven. They meet on the streets and he finds himself attracted to this oddball of a girl, and she feels the same way, but she is having trouble accepting her feelings. This relationship kills.
1. Chapter 1

**Escaping the Looney Bin**

_Heaven_

To think is to remember and to remember is to remorse. Heaven had told herself that often, before she became this way. Don't think and don't feel; you'll be okay and you'll survive. She didn't have to think about those nights when her father would come in her room or when her mother would burn her because her husband was raping her. Heaven never killed her parents; she never had any. The asylum was always her home, but they still treated her as if she were crazy. To them she was patient 4311. She had no name here, just a number. They kept her on the same schedule every day. She woke up at eight to eat breakfast at nine, and then shower at ten. She would have two hours to play until it was time for lunch, and then she would have classes, all one hour each, until dinner. After dinner she was supposed to do her homework for one more hour until she went to sleep. There were no weekends in the asylum either. It was the same thing every day.

She often dreamed of cutting everyone apart. How dare they lock her up when she was only ten years old? How dare they keep her in here for six years? She smiled to herself. She often did what she was told without questioning it or so much as thinking about what they were asking her to do. Other times, she acted totally on impulses that she got. Right now, she had the impulse to kill the nurse that was setting up her lunch.

She didn't have to do much; the nurse had her back to Heaven. She walked up behind the nurse and took her chin in one hand and covered the nurse's forehead with the other and then gave a hard yank at it. The nurse's head twisted sharply to the side and Heaven heard a cracking noise. She smiled and slammed the nurse down against the sink in her cell. The nurse spat up some blood and her body was limp. Heaven pulled the nurse's face up and licked her lips, giggling and wiping the blood away from her own mouth.

After wards, she dropped the body to the floor, bored, and then grabbed the key from the nurse's pocket. She let herself out of her cell and closed the door behind her with a triumphant smile. Escaping was easier than what people thought it to be; all she had to do was change her clothes and walk out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Freedom Never Tasted So Sweet**

_Beth_

It was only two hours later that anyone discovered the dead nurse. During the next hour, everyone was frantic, looking for patient 4311. They called in the police and when they arrived, they questioned the patient's counselor, what they were dealing with.

"What do you have on this patient? Her background, why she's here, personal information," said Tom, the sheriff. "How dangerous is she?"

"She's sixteen years old," the counselor answered. Her name was Beth. She'd always been interested in patient 4311. "She was put in here at the age of ten." she took one look at the sheriff and continued to explain, ignoring his look of disbelief. "She was found playing with her parents' dead bodies, having a tea party, covered in their blood."

"That's sick." he mumbled. "Why did she kill them?"

"She never gave any reason why, but after questioning some neighbors and some of her parents' friends, we found out that her father raped her often and her mother abused her for it, punishing her instead of the father." Beth said, a look of remorse on her face. "I think the girl was just tired of the pain they were causing her and it pushed her over the edge."

Tom nodded and picked up a thin stack of papers. "Anything else?" he asked, flipping through them.

"She claims that she doesn't think or feel." Beth answered dryly.

Tom looked up at her and was quiet for several moments. "What does that mean?" he asked, looking confused, but somewhat amused. "Everyone thinks and everyone feels."

"Every time I ask her why that is, she just says 'to think is to remember and to remember is to remorse. Remorse is feeling, and I refuse to do either'," Beth explained. "She says that she acts totally on impulse."

_Heaven_

Heaven soon found herself lost in the city, but she didn't care. She took random turns. Left, right, right, straight, left, straight; it continued like this for some time before the sun started to set. She walked past a large white house and paused. Right now she wanted to go inside, and so she did. The front door was unlocked, so she let herself in with a curious expression on her face. She could hear voices coming from somewhere else in the house. She walked to the kitchen and grabbed a knife, playing with it, cutting down her finger and licking away the blood before it fell to the floor. One of the voices was getting louder, coming closer. Heaven hid in a corner beside the entry way and waited for her victim.

It was all like a game to her; she could have a lot of fun with their bodies after she stabbed them and cut them apart in the bath tub. Once, in the asylum, she had overheard a girl talking about how bathing in blood would do wonders for your skin. She had been interested, and now was her chance to test it. She giggled some, calling attention to herself. The man walked in first and she stabbed his chest, tearing towards her, ripping through his skin. Blood gushed from his chest as he screamed and fell to the floor. Heaven watched as a puddle of thick red liquid formed around him. A woman, most likely his wife, came in next, asking if he was okay, and she did the same with her. She fell on top of her husband and soaked him in her blood. Heaven dragged them into the bathroom and got undressed. After wards, she cut them apart in the bath tub, rubbing her bloodied hands over her body and licking her fingers every now and again. She was enjoying this and she wanted to do it again as soon as possible.

_Jake_

Jake was tired of his parents giving him a hard time about his grades. He was only failing one class after all. They always tormented him with that "you're going to Hell" bullshit that he had to listen to everyday. He was tired of everything. They way they looked at him, treated him, and talked about him. He grabbed his jacket and climbed out his window, dropping onto a lower part of the roof, and then climbed down a tree that was a foot or two from the edge of the roof. He hit the ground with a soft thud and ran a couple of blocks. After a while he started walking and a few minutes after that, it started raining. He sighed and dropped down, leaning against a building. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the brick wall, wishing for a better place to sleep.

_Heaven_

Heaven woke up the next morning in the bath tub, her body still stained with blood. She stretched, sat up, and then turned on the shower. She liked blood when she could drink it and lick it off her arms and fingers, but not when it was sticking to her, dry and flaky, and when it was forming clumps in her long hair. She stood up and washed the blood away, watching it go into the drain along with the blood that stained the floor of the tub.

When she was done with her shower, she explored the house naked until she found the couple's bedroom. She looked through the closet and found a white dress. It showed a lot of skin, but everything else in there was black or some other dark, ugly color. White would be best when she bathed again. She didn't really care that it was raining outside and slipped the small dress on and went out to walk around the streets again. She just happened to glance at the clock sitting on a bedside table on her way out. It was only six o'clock in the morning.

She skipped down the street, splashing in puddles every once in a while for her own amusement. A couple of cars would drive by, and if the driver noticed her, they would often slow down for a moment, or sometimes they would even stop and ask if she needed a ride. Some of them were men who stopped to flirt with her and tried to pick her up, but she kept playing, ignoring everyone who spoke to her until they drove off in frustration.

Pretty soon, she was deep in the city, her whole body soaked and dripping. She sneezed and looked across the street, feeling somebody's eyes on her. It was a boy with black, shaggy hair. He was wearing some dark clothes and had his hood up to keep himself dry as best as he could. He noticed her looking back and looked away. Heaven walked across the street without checking for cars and didn't jump out of the way when they slowed and honked at her. There was something about that boy that made her want to talk to him and find out what he was doing outside.

_Jake_

Jake looked up at the girl who stood before him, his face red. Maybe she didn't care if her whole body could be seen through her skimpy dress. He averted his eyes and cleared his throat as she bent down. He looked at her face. The girl's eyes seemed to be lifeless as they stared into his grey-blue eyes. They were grey and empty, giving him some sad feeling deep down in his heart. He wanted to reach up and caress her cheek, but fought it. Her hair was wet and stuck to her face somewhat; he didn't know what color it was when it was dry, but it reached her thighs when she was standing moments ago. As for her body, she was a little curvy, and she wasn't too tall or too short, but she looked oddly frail and innocent.

She leaned in closer and grabbed his chin, her nails digging into his skin somewhat. He flinched as she turned his head to the side. She must have been observing his piercings. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and noticed that she didn't have any piercings. She turned his face again to look at her and smiled. He smiled back hesitantly and said, "Hi."

"Hello." She replied.

He could tell she wasn't going to say much. "What's your name?" he asked after a moment of what he thought to be an awkward silence.

"Heaven. They call me patient 4311," she answered. "What's your name?"

"Jake," he said, shaking her hand. She didn't flinch when he reached out and grabbed her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Heaven. Why do they call you patient 4311?"

"They don't call me by my name at home," she looked to be telling the truth, but something about what she was telling him made him feel uneasy. "They don't call anyone by their name. As soon as you get inside, they give you a shirt and matching pants with the number sewn into them." She explained.

"Where is your home, exactly?" he asked.

"I don't know," she giggled. "I'm lost. Are you lost too?"

She reminded him of a little kid. Why isn't she worried? "Sort of," he mumbled. "But I don't plan on going back." He said, looking away.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." She said, her voice sounding different from before.

He looked back at her, that feeling of uneasiness returning. "Sorry," he said. "I won't do it again."

She smiled and stood up. He looked away, blushing again. "You're not wearing anything under your dress, Heaven," he mumbled. "You shouldn't wear white in the rain."

She offered her hand, ignoring his comment. "You should come with me." She said instead. He took her hand and stood up, but didn't ask any questions. He thought it'd be nice to hang out with Heaven for a while.


	3. Chapter 3

**Who Knew Killing Was a Hobby?**

"Where do you want to go?" Jake asked Heaven as they walked together. Her hands swung by her sides and she twirled and skipped gleefully and he had his stuffed in his pockets. He looked down at her hand and thought about holding it, and then stopped himself. How was it possible to be attracted to this girl already? He knew that there was something wrong with her.

"I don't know," she answered. "What sounds like fun to you?"

"I heard there was going to be a party tonight." He said, glancing at her. Her eyes seemed to light up and she nodded, looking excited. "Have you ever been to a party?" he asked after a moment.

"Nope," She answered gleefully. "They make us stay in our rooms all day at home."

"Why is that?" he asked, feeling bad for the girl.

"They used to let me eat with the other patients until I started playing with my friend, Nichol." Her face darkened some, but nothing else changed with her body movement.

"Did you hurt her while you guys were playing?" he got a creepy feeling and goose bumps formed on his arms.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I guess it isn't okay to take somebody's eyeball." She laughed and twirled again. He found himself trying not to laugh with her and finally gave in. It felt good to laugh; he hadn't had anything to laugh about in a long time.

After a few more moments of laughter, he sighed happily and glanced at his wrist watch. They had a couple of hours before the party started, so he grabbed Heaven's arm and stopped to ask where they were. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that while he was talking, she was admiring the cat, petting it, and when they left, she tried to pick it up to take it with them. "Hey," he pulled her hand back and she looked at him. "That cat has a collar. It belongs to somebody." He spoke softly, as if she were only a little girl who needed to understand what was wrong and what was right.

"No," she shook her head. "He's mine, and his name is Lucifer." Lucifer? He cracked a grin and shook his head, watching as she picked up the cat and carried him as they walked. The cat would meow deep and low and Heaven would just pat his head. After a while, she gave the cat to Jake and would skip ahead. How was he falling for her so fast?

Another hour passed and he began to understand why she'd given the cat to him. The cat felt ten pounds heavier now and he wanted to put it down. "Hey, Heaven?" he asked. "Can I put the cat down now?"

She turned around and looked at him with wide eyes. "But he might run away," she said before looking at a big window behind him. "I'll get him a leash!" she said, pointing to the window. Jake turned around and saw that they were standing in front of a pet store. How convenient.

"We don't have any money." He mumbled as he watched her go inside. Somehow, he knew that she wasn't going to need any. She acted like she didn't know anything about the modern world. Maybe that's what happened when your family locked you up in a room your whole life. He began to wonder what she meant by "home". It was obvious that she didn't have a family, the way she talked about all of the other patients. Patients? Was she in some Looney bin then? He watched with wide eyes as she walked in, grabbed a leash, and walked out, making the buzzer at the door go off. The guy standing at the counter stared at her for a moment, and then finally gathered himself enough to run out the door and yell at her, snatching one end of the leash.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled at her.

"Hey, she doesn't know any better." Jake said, defending her, suddenly angry at the poor guy for wanting his leash back.

"Are you kidding?" the guy laughed, still angry. "She's a teenager for God's sake!" he yelled, directing his words at Heaven. He gave a strong yank and pulled Heaven forward. Jake reached out with his free hand and caught her. She was still holding on to the leash and didn't show any expression. Her eyes looked blank as she tugged back.

"I just wanted the leash for Lucifer." She said without any emotion. The guy scoffed and tugged on the leash some more.

"Listen, kid," the guy said. "If you give me the leash back or pay for it, I won't call the police." Heaven laughed and gave the leash a heavy jerk to the side, pulling the man past her. He hit a fire hydrant and fell over onto the ground. Heaven happily hooked the leash onto Lucifer's collar and Jake dropped the cat onto the ground. He was angry at the guy for trying to hurt Heaven and glared at him as he sat up. "I'm calling the police!" the man ran inside and grabbed his phone.

"Should I stop him?" Jake asked Heaven. She was sitting on the ground, petting Lucifer, and watching the man with blank eyes. She nodded and Jake headed inside. He had kept his hands stuffed in his pockets and walked up to the man. He was still waiting for somebody to pick up. "Hey, you," he pulled one hand out of his pocket and balled it into a fist. The man looked at him. "You almost hurt her."

"She stole something," he glanced out the window. "As far as I'm concerned, that little bitch deserved it."

Jake shook his head and punched the guy square in the jaw. The guy dropped the phone and stumbled back. "Get the hell out of my store, kid!" the guy walked towards him again and Jake shoved him back against the wall and picked up the phone just as somebody answered and hung it up. He hit the guy in the head a couple of times and grabbed his hair, slamming his face into the corner of the counter. The guy cried out and his hand went to his now broken nose. Jake had a sudden surge of excitement and did it again. He heard the guy's nose crack and grinned, letting him fall back. He could almost kill the guy! Ha hah! What a laugh that would be. Jake almost skipped to a nearby rack and picked it up. It was short and light, so it was easy to carry.

The man pushed himself off the floor, groaning, and looked up just in time to see Jake pull the small rack back and slam it into his face. The guy fell back against the wall, panting. "Just wait until the police get here, kid." The guy mumbled, putting his hand on the edge of the counter for support.

"Whatever." Jake said before slamming the rack into the guy's stomach. He kept beating him until the guy didn't make any more movements. He checked his pulse. It was barely there. Jake looked down and saw that his jeans and shoes were splattered with some blood from hitting the guy so many times in the face. He glanced out the window, but didn't see Heaven anywhere. He panicked some, thinking that he might have scared her off, and ran outside.

He saw her standing in front of a store at the end of the street, admiring something in another window. He called to her and she waved, smiling. He ran to her and skidded to a stop. He looked up into the window and saw a scythe, and beside that, a katana. Lucifer was tied up to a speed limit sign nearby. He glanced at her. Maybe what he did back there didn't scare her at all. Maybe it excited her as much, if not more, than it excited him. He decided that she was from the Looney bin after all.

She walked inside this store too, and like the leash, she grabbed the scythe and katana and started to walk out the door. The store owner came up behind her and grabbed her arm, telling her that she needed to pay for them, and she simply unsheathed the katana, turned and swung, and slashed the owner's chest. The owner fell to his knees and screamed in agony. She smiled and said something, though Jake couldn't hear what it was, and shoved the katana through his chest and pulled it back out. On her way out of the store, she licked some of the blood off the blade and sheathed it. Jake blinked, somewhat excited, but also a little frightened. It seemed too easy for her to kill that guy, like she'd done it before.

Heaven handed him the katana and untied the cat. With her scythe in one hand and the leash in the other, she turned the block. Jake followed her, hearing a police car pull up to the pet store. A little while later, when they were further down the road, an ambulance passed them. He guessed they found that guy and possibly the other store owner. This time he didn't hesitate and put his arm around Heaven as if he were telling everyone that she was his. If anybody hurt her, they'd pay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Reunions Never Meant Much to Me**

Jake wasn't too excited about the party, but Heaven did. He couldn't blame her for being curious and excited. He acted the same way before his first party. It wasn't anything special. You just got to look at a couple of sluts, drink some beers, and get high. He tried to smoke some pot with a hot girl at a party once, but it was terrible and he ditched her later that night. His father drank, so he never wanted to try that. He was too afraid that he'd turn out like his father. His mother was a "perfect Christian" and wanted Jake to act the same as those other Christian kids. He wouldn't do it; he'd rather die.

What ticked him off the most about his parents was how stupid and ignorant they were. His father drank and beat his wife, yet he was a "perfect Christian" and knew right from wrong? Yeah, right. His mother was a slut and slept with several men when her husband was at work, yet she was also a "perfect Christian".

His mind continued to wonder until he felt Heaven tug on his jacket. He looked down and she smiled. He wondered if she'd mind killing his parents. "You want to have some fun before the party?" he asked, grinning at her. She nodded, her eyes lighting up. "Let's go to my house. I'd like you to meet some people." He said. She nodded again and they walked a couple of blocks until he recognized a few houses. "We're almost there." He mumbled. His heart was starting to race. Maybe he wanted this all along. He just never had the guts to do it until Heaven came along. He silently thanked her.

Once they were in front of his house he turned to Heaven and grasped her shoulders lightly. "Heaven, I want to kill my parents," he said. "They've tortured me for too long and I want them to pay."

"Okay." Heaven said. She was smiling cheek to cheek.

"What happened to your parents, Heaven?" Jake asked quietly.

Her face faltered some, but she quickly replaced her frown with the same cheeky smile. "I don't have any parents. I just have my home." She said.

Maybe he would be able to find out a little later when she was able to talk about it. He took her hand and walked to the front door, which opened the moment he started to reach for the knob. It was his mother, Sarah. "Where have you been?" she asked sounding slightly panicked. Then she looked at Heaven. Her eyes widened at the girl's soaked white dress. "Where'd you find this whore at?" She asked while she grabbed Jake's shirt and began to pull him inside.

Heaven grabbed Jake's jacket. "Don't," she warned. "He's mine."

"I beg your pardon?" Sarah asked in disbelief. "Excuse me, but I'm his mother!"

"And a bad one at that." Heaven added, smiling.

Sarah slapped Heaven across the face, angry. She did the same thing with Jake all the time. Heaven slowly turned her face back to Sarah, a flash of anger in her eyes. She pulled Jake from his mother's grasp and shoved her inside the house, her scythe ready. She dropped Lucifer's leash and the cat sat there, watching. Jake looked up in time to see Heaven pull back and slash at his mother. She started to scream, but it was cut short as she was beheaded.

Jake saw Heaven as the Reaper. He watched as blood spurted and hit her dress, coloring it red, and splattered her skin. He thought she looked beautiful. He walked in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, smelling her hair mixed with his mother's blood. "Thank you." He whispered in her ear.

_Heaven_

Oh, the feeling of blood splashing against her skin! Heaven was enjoying herself too much. She was going to cut the body apart, but Jake's arms acted as a barrier. She heard him thank her, but she didn't answer. Instead, she stared at the blood, wanting it more than anything in the world. This woman had been hurting Jake, she could tell. It didn't affect her feelings much, but she knew that all parents should die for neglecting and abusing their children. They weren't animals. They never deserved any of that treatment.

She didn't really flinch when Jake's father screamed. He must have come in the room while she was lost in thought. She looked up at the same moment that he caught sight of the bloody scythe she was holding. He yelled, obviously angry. She welcomed his hatred and waited for him to come close enough. He wasn't going to do anything just yet though.

Jake pulled away from her and stood beside her, smiling smugly at his father. Heaven took this moment of freedom to drop to her knees and play in the woman's blood. It felt good against her skin as she rubbed in on her arms, no longer paying attention to Jake's screaming father.

She heard him running at her, looked up, and watched Jake pull his sword out and stab his father with it. She licked one of her fingers and watched him tug the blade to the left, tearing his father's chest open. Blood spurted out and hit Jake. She could smell the blood from where she was sitting and felt herself get a little wet between the thighs. She'd never experienced that before. She lifted up her dress and peaked between her legs in curiosity.

"What are you doing?" Jake asked. She looked up at him and dropped her dress. He was blushing. She didn't answer. Lucifer came inside and sat beside her, rubbing against her, purring. Jake closed the door and then sat in front of her. "You should put something on under your dress." he said, his face still getting redder. She didn't understand why he was so bashful. It was only a body. She looked down at the dress. It was short and stuck to her body. Red stained her stomach, but she could see her breasts easily. Was that it?

She smiled to herself and tested it, pulling the dress off. She watched as Jake's eyes widened. His face was bright red and he looked away. She giggled and stood up. "I want to take a bath." she said as she dragged Jake's mother's body out of the living room. Soon enough she found the bathroom and heard Jake grunting as he dragged his father's body. She went back and found the kitchen. He stayed in the bathroom that time. She grabbed a knife and went back to the bathroom. "Get undressed." she ordered him.

_Jake_

He did as he was told, but hesitated when it came time to pull off his boxers. "Heaven," he mumbled, looking embarrassed. She looked at him. "I can't take these off." he said, blushing, but looking at her.

"I'll close my eyes," she said as she got in the tub. "First help me fill the tub."

Jake knew what she meant. He dragged his mother's body over and hung it on the side of the tub for Heaven. She took the body and started cutting at the body's back, blood starting to flow out. Jake did the same with his father's body and took out his sword, cutting, carving, and dissembling it.

Before long the tub had a good amount of blood in it. Jake made sure that Heaven had her eyes closed like she promised and took off his boxers and got in the tub quickly. Heaven leaned back on him, her eyes still closed. He didn't want her to feel anything, but he didn't want to push her away either. Instead, he started rubbing blood on her arms, legs, and stomach.

She leaned forward so he could rub blood on her back. Once he was done with that, he moved to her shoulders, and after that, her neck, followed by her face. He ran his finger over her lips lightly and thought about kissing them. He pulled her closer and buried his face in her neck. "You keep skipping parts of my body." Heaven said.

He blushed and was glad she didn't see him. "It would be wrong to touch those parts of your body." he pointed out.

"It is?" Heaven asked, sounding confused.

Jake paused for a moment. "Didn't anybody ever teach you that?" he asked.

"No." Heaven answered simply.

"Did anything happen to you to make you think that it was normal for others to touch you like that?" he asked. She didn't answer, so he just gave up and hesitantly started rubbing blood on her breasts. He was getting turned on, but he wouldn't tell her that. Would it matter? She could probably already feel how hard he was. Even if she did, she didn't know anything about it, obviously. He started to think about doing sexual things with her, but stopped himself. That was the last thing he needed. He wanted her to trust him and she was more than some toy.

_Heaven_

Heaven knew that Jake was thinking all the time, and it annoyed her. She didn't question what he was thinking about or why he was thinking about it. She just wished that he'd stop thinking. Acting on impulse was fun, and thinking just dragged her down. She hated to admit it, but she'd been starting to think again, and she hated it. It was all Jake's fault, the way he spoke to her and treated her. All in one day, she'd thought three times. Each time she thought, it was about him.

She didn't want to accept it, but she liked this boy more than she wanted to. He was just along for the ride to keep her company. When she saw him, she knew there was darkness growing and he was bothered about something. She found out just a while ago that all of his hatred had been caused by his parents. And now he wanted to know what happened to her parents. He was smart, but there wasn't any real use for his brain. If anything he would just help her hide, give her food, clothing, and he must have thought he'd give her feeling again too.

She felt betrayed, the way he was pulling her closer to him, touching her, and making her feel something deep down inside of her. Didn't they call it a heart? She was thinking again. She stopped thinking and pulled away from Jake. He flinched and asked if something was wrong, but she didn't answer. Instead, she turned around and started rubbing blood on his arms and shoulders.

Jake looked embarrassed again and she ignored his expression. She ignored the way he moved to cover his lower half better. She knew what he was trying to hide, and she was tempted to help him so he wouldn't be embarrassed about his body anymore. When did she start fighting her temptations? "Thou shall not fall into thy temptation", she remembered her counselor telling her once. "Does that mean anything to you, Heaven?" she had asked.

"No," Heaven answered. "I do what I want when I want."

"That could get you into a lot of trouble." Her counselor had pointed out. She placed her hand gently on Heaven's knee. Heaven slapped it away.

"Acting on impulse won't hurt me." Heaven had screamed back. She picked up a picture that was sitting on the desk in front of her and threw it at her counselor, who ducked. The nurses came in then and dragged her back to her cell, even though her counselor insisted that they let her stay.

"You okay?" Jake asked, pulling Heaven back to the present. She cursed at herself for remembering and nodded. He seemed to relax a little, but he was still trying to keep his lower half hidden. Heaven was very annoyed with his embarrassment. She rubbed blood on his face, avoiding his piercings.

"Why are you embarrassed?" she finally asked him.

She could tell he wanted to avoid answering that, but he felt that he had no choice. "I'm not used to doing this. I'm not used to doing anything that involves being naked with a girl." He looked ashamed. "It makes me feel dirty and perverted," he continued. "The way I keep thinking about you."

Heaven felt her pulse quicken slightly and tried to ignore it. "What do you mean?" she asked. It was better to pretend that she was innocent. Why was he torturing her? Making her remember those terrible nights? Images flashed through her mind. The way her father would stumble in her room late at night and fight with her until she would stay still so he could tear away her clothing, and the way he'd run his hands over her small curves before he'd…

"I mean," he swallowed some. "I keep picturing…" he trailed off. "I keep thinking about kissing you." He said simply after a moment of silence.

Her heart was still beating faster, trying not to remember, wanting to be held by somebody who loved her and not her body. Was that what she truly wanted? She didn't want to find out the answer, but he was caressing her face and leaning closer. His lips were only a couple of inches from hers, and she was scared. She wanted to push him away. Not because he reminded her of her father, but because she might like it. She didn't want to feel! Not happiness or love, because they would turn against her someday and tear her apart, torturing her by turning into hatred and jealousy. He might leave her heartbroken and he wouldn't care.

His lips pressed against hers softly and his arms were wrapped around her, and just like she feared, she liked it. She loved it.

_Jake_

Jake couldn't believe that he was actually kissing Heaven. She didn't pull away, but she was rigid. He knew that something might have happened to her when she was younger, so why was he doing this? If she did have a family before she was put into that mental hospital, then she could have been touched or raped, and who knew when that started or how long that lasted?

He broke away. "Sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Heaven," he said, pulling back. "If you were hurt, I want to be the one to fix it. I want to make your pain disappear."

She didn't say anything. She looked a little shocked, and she looked broken. It hurt to see her like that. It looked like she was having a mental break down. It was like she had a phobia of feeling or love or something. Jake reached out to her and for the first time, she flinched, and then she started crying. He pulled her close and petted her hair, not really caring that he was getting little clumps of blood in it. He kissed her forehead and whispered that he was sorry again. She shouldn't be suffering, not because of a little kiss. He hated himself now for making her feel whatever it was that she felt.

"Please," he mumbled. "Tell me what's wrong."

Heaven ignored him, her tears already gone. She pushed him back so he fell into the blood and started rubbing it on his chest and stomach. She kept going lower and he panicked some. The way she had pushed him back and crawled forward kept him from moving to cover himself. His face was beat red, he already knew. He could feel it. He felt stupid for acting like such a girl with his body, but he'd never done anything close to this before.

_Heaven_

Heaven took a moment to gather herself mentally. She had never cried before, so why start now? She would keep her mind blank from now on, otherwise, she might have to kill herself to keep the pain away. She didn't really pay attention as Jake mumbled about how sorry he was and to stop going lower on his stomach. She paused at his waist and looked up at him. He was so red, so embarrassed, that it annoyed her. She got out of the tub and walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Druggie Seeks Salvation**

After Heaven had left the bathroom, she could hear Jake running the water to wash himself off. She didn't want to talk to him for now, but she would play with Lucifer. He had been watching them in the tub the whole time, meowing and purring. To be honest, she was still a little wet between her legs from watching Jake kill his father and from Jake rubbing blood on her body for her. She was still curious about it, but she would wait until some other time to question Jake about it.

So she finally got her mind back. If she had stayed in the asylum, she wouldn't be struggling to keep her mind blank. She kept catching herself thinking about Jake. She already forgave him. She played with Lucifer's tail, tugging on it. He meowed in protest, and then purred when she started petting him. She was still bloody, and it was beginning to dry on her skin. She shivered. The blood was warm, but the rest of the house was cold, plus she had been walking in the rain. She didn't get dressed, because she wanted to protest her thinking again.

A few moments later Jake walked in the room in his boxers and picked her up. She didn't fight him off as he carried her to the tub. "I'll do it right next time, Heaven." He promised when they reached the tub. He set her down and started washing the blood away using the shower head, which could be pulled from the wall to wash easily. He started with her hair, obviously admiring it's length. She looked up at him and caught his eye, but he looked away quickly, back to her hair. It was too late; she saw the look in his eyes.

_Tom_

Tom was still talking to Beth about patient 4311, or Heaven, when his cell phone started ringing. He stepped outside the room and answered. "Hello," he said. He paused, listening to another police officer tell him the news. "Okay, I'll be right there." He assured the police officer and hung up the phone as he walked back into the room. Beth looked up at him curiously. "Looks like she's made it into the city," he said. "We already have two victims."

Beth's eyes widened. "That you know of!" she exclaimed, standing up. "Where were the bodies found?" she asked, grabbing her coat.

"Whoa," Tom said, putting up his hands. "You're not going with me."

"Yes I am," Beth argued. "Heaven is my patient, so you need me. I know the answers to the questions you'll be asking." Tom sighed. She had a point, so he let her follow him to his car, and they were off.

_Jake_

"Heaven," Jake said, blushing. He told himself he wouldn't do it anymore, but he couldn't help it. He was still washing her body, and tried to avoid it until the last minute, but he had to wash between her legs sooner or later. "Are you…" he trailed off, pulling his hand up to look at it.

Heaven looked up at him. "Is something wrong with me?" she asked.

"No, nothing is wrong," he said and then hesitated. "You're just…" he paused. "Excited."

"Excited?" she asked, tilting her head. "I've never been excited like this before. I certainly don't feel excited."

"It's a different kind of excited." Jake answered before clearing his throat. He was having thoughts again. He could just keep washing her, and possibly slip a finger or two in… He shook his head. He wouldn't do it.

"What are you thinking about?" Heaven asked, catching his eye.

"Nothing." He answered, trying not to blush.

"You always think," she mumbled, sounding annoyed. "Tell me."

"I don't think you want to hear it." Jake protested.

"I do." Heaven returned. She looked up at him, daring him to protest any longer.

"I was thinking about making you feel better." Jake said hesitantly.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

Jake shook his head. He wasn't about to tell her his fantasies. "Nothing, Heaven," he said. "Can we just drop it?" Heaven paused for a moment, but she nodded and Jake continued washing her, trying to ignore how wet she was.

_Beth_

"Oh my God." Beth exclaimed as they walked into the second shop. She stared at the headless body of the store owner.

"The scythe and katana are missing." A police officer reported to Tom.

Beth watched as Tom shook his head and cursed under his breath. "That just makes her kills easier."

"I know Heaven wouldn't beat a man with a rack," Beth pointed out once again. "It was too heavy for a girl like her."

"Beth," Tom said with a warning tone, pulling off his sunglasses to rub his eyes. "Who else could have done it?"

"Maybe she found another kid," Beth answered. "Somebody stronger," she explained, but then she paused. "Or maybe somebody else was the one who went into that shop and it was just a coincidence."

"You're doing it again," Tom said, looking at her after putting his sunglasses back on. "Stop protecting her. You know what's wrong with her and you know what she's capable of."

"I'm not protecting anyone!" Beth argued. "I'm being reasonable," she said, lowering her voice. "There is no way she was the one who beat that other store owner like that."

Tom thought about it for a minute, looked at her, and then said, "I still think it was her." He smiled as Beth glared at him.

_Heaven_

Heaven waited for Jake to return with a towel, still sitting in the tub. She was admiring the bodies that she was cutting apart. She'd like to keep some body parts as little trophies of her kills. She counted how many people she killed. Her mom, her dad, the store owner, and Jake's mom. She almost purred in delight, thinking about how many more bodies she would have later tonight. She hoped it was almost time for the party. There were so many people to kill, and so many ways to kill them!

Jake walked into the bathroom with a towel in his hands. "Okay," he said. "I need you to stand up."

She did as she was told, still smiling. He hadn't blushed since he washed her, so that was a plus. He wrapped the towel around her and grabbed a brush. "Are you used to having someone else brushing your hair?" he asked her. She nodded, so he started brushing her hair, still admiring its length. He still had to see it when it was dry. He could imagine how soft and sweet it smelled. He smiled at her in the mirror, feeling her eyes on him.

She didn't smile back, but she did pick up Lucifer. He purred as she petted his head and played with his ears. Jake's smile faltered and he went back to brushing her hair with a blank expression. It was so hard to make this girl happy already unless they were killing. He couldn't blush, mumble, or look away from embarrassment, otherwise she would get angry or annoyed. He sighed quietly and glanced in the mirror at her face. She looked absent-minded at the moment, still petting Lucifer. "You okay?" he asked.

She looked up, her eyes empty again. "Yeah." She answered, her hand pausing over the cat's head. He meowed at her to keep petting her and she smiled a little. Jake smiled when she smiled. As long as she was happy, he was happy. He finished brushing her hair and set the brush down on the sink.

"We still have a half hour before we leave for the party," he said, running his fingers through her hair. "You hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah." Heaven answered again, her eyes not as empty as before.

Jake helped Heaven get dressed in something warm, even though she protested that it was a dark color. He said that they would change her clothes again before going to the party, but he wanted her to be warm so she wouldn't catch a cold. He reminded himself of some father, only with feelings for the girl. He shook his head as he watched Heaven pick at her food, not really sure what it was. "You've never had pizza before?" he asked, looking a little amused.

"Pizza?" she asked, sounding it out.

He chuckled as she tried to stab it with a fork. "You're supposed to eat it with your hands, Heaven," he said, picking up his own piece of pizza. "Here, like this." He said as he brought the pizza to his mouth and bit down on it. Heaven nodded and copied him. He tried not to laugh as she stared at him and copied his chewing, exaggerating each time she bit down on the pizza. "Is it good?" he asked after she finished her first piece. She nodded and picked up a second piece, still copying him. He smiled at her while chewing and she smiled back, her cheeks a little puffed out. He choked some and took a drink of his soda.

_Amanda_

Amanda got ready for the party tonight. She was hoping for some more drugs; she was already out and needed more badly. She looked in the mirror and put on some dark red lipstick before admiring her blonde hair and blue eyes, but she hated the little bags under her eyes from loss of sleep and lack of drugs. She stood up and tugged at her tank top to show a little more cleavage and then walked to her bed to tug on her leather boots. They clacked against the wooden floor as she left her bedroom. She attempted to sneak past the living room where her parents were watching a movie.

"Where do you think you're going?" her mom asked, raising an eyebrow.

"To a party." she answered, her throat dry.

"Not in that outfit," her father said. "Your skirt is too short. Are you even wearing anything under that thing?" he asked, looking disgusted.

"No." she said with a smile and walked out the door.

She was proud of her body. She had great curves and fair skin, a line of freckles crossing over the bridge of her nose. She looked good in almost anything. She tugged at her fishnets, pulling them up another inch. They were only at her thighs for easy access, who ever she happened to sleep with tonight, it would get her some free drugs, so she didn't mind.

Her parents didn't really care for her. They had a younger, better daughter who was keeping up great grades in school and attended church with them. She almost gagged thinking about her younger sister. Her parents were unhappy with her ever since she turned 13, when she started smoking, and in another year, started drinking. When she hit 16, she was sleeping with every guy at the party and trying new drugs. She dropped out of high school then too, and now she was 17. Only one more year of putting up with her parents, and then she was out of here.

Amanda glanced across the street after hearing a door close. She saw a tall kid with shaggy black hair and the whole "emo" look going on and he had a sword of some sort attached to his belt. She thought he was hot. She didn't know his name, but she always used to see him last year on her way to school. He didn't talk much and was a little shy. She remembered seeing him at a party or two, but they never got the chance to talk. She wondered if he did drugs too and smiled. She thought about crossing the street to meet up with him when she saw another girl tag along behind him, a black cat following her. She was carrying a scythe in one hand and what looked like a leash in the other. Was that his little sister? What was with the weapons?

_Jake_

Jake noticed that girl staring at him from across the street. He wanted to avoid her eyes, and he hated the way that she was looking at Heaven. He grabbed her hand and took Lucifer's leash. He noticed Heaven looking back at the girl in curiosity. Her eyes lit up a little. He could almost read her mind. "Heaven," he warned. She looked up at him. "Not while we're outside."

Heaven looked disappointed, but nodded. "Is she going to the party too?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered. "I've seen her at a couple of parties before. She isn't really someone I want to talk to though."

"Why?" she asked.

"She's a slut." He answered honestly.

"My daddy used to call me that." Heaven said. Jake stopped walking and looked down at her, a little shocked. She was actually talking about her father with him.

"Why did he call you that?" he asked, a hatred growing deep in his heart, already knowing the answer.

"He said it was my nickname," she answered innocently. "He said it every night when he came into my room to say goodnight."

"How did he say goodnight?" he asked, gripping the leash tighter rather than Heaven's hand. Heaven was quiet now. She didn't want to go that far, he guessed. He started walking again and said, "You don't have to answer that question, but if your father was still alive, I'd kill him for you."

Heaven looked up at him, and for the first time, she had a look of admiration in her eyes. He smiled at her and kissed her lightly, feeling the other girl's eyes on his back. Heaven wasn't as rigid this time, but she still paused, looking confused. He caressed her cheek and continued kissing her for another moment or two.

_Amanda_

What the hell was this? Amanda gawked as the cutie across the street made out with the tag along. That girl looked like she was only twelve from here. Had she even hit puberty yet? Amanda crossed the street when he finally pulled away from the girl. "Hey," she said, smiling. "Are you guys going to the party too?"

"Yeah," the cutie answered easily, looking her up and down. Amanda had a feeling he wasn't thinking about her body the way he should be. Didn't she look good in this outfit? She fought the urge to look down to check her breasts. They were showing, right? "You live nearby, right?" he asked. "I've seen you around here before."

"Yeah," she answered. How couldn't he have noticed her? "Just down the street."

"Cool." He said. The girl tugged on his jacket sleeve, wanting to continue walking, probably without her. The girl was probably intimidated, because she sure wasn't looking at Amanda. Amanda smirked, glancing at the girl.

He started walking with her and Amanda tugged on his other sleeve and gave him a flirty smile when he looked back at her. "Do you mind if I join you?" she asked. He looked at the girl, who didn't look back and then nodded. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Jake," he answered, offering his hand. She shook it. "What's your name?"

Amanda was slightly annoyed about the girl, but walked with them anyway, playing cool. "Amanda." She answered.

"Cool." He said, not really paying attention.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. He was into this girl who didn't have enough curves and didn't know how to speak to stick up for her man. She smiled. She would steal him away later tonight and test his loyalty. She always won. "How old are you?" she asked next, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Um, seventeen." He answered. Amanda saw the girl look up at him like she was surprised. Did they just meet today?

"Oh, me too." She said, smiling, but she didn't catch his eye. He was too busy looking down at the girl. "What's your name?" she asked the girl, her voice changing pitch as if she were talking to a little kid.

"Heaven." The girl answered, looking at her for the first time with a blank expression.

Amanda got goose bumps, and then her eyes widened. "Heaven?" she asked. She stepped in front of Jake and tilted the girl's head back to stare at her face. "Oh my God," she whispered. "It's really you."

Jake looked confused. "Do you know her?" he asked, pulling Heaven closer.

"Yeah, we were friends when we were younger," Amanda felt her eyes watering some. "Before she was taken away," she explained. Heaven stared at her with the same blank expression, not really caring that Amanda was grasping her chin and pushing her head back. "I used to babysit her and then we got closer. We played at the park every day."

Jake's eyes widened. "Heaven," he turned her to face him, forcing Amanda to let go of Heaven's chin. "Do you remember?"

Heaven was silent for a couple of moments and then answered, "No."

Amanda's heart had lifted and now it had been dropped down again, falling lower than before. "You don't remember?" she asked, wiping her eyes, careful not to smudge her makeup. "We were best friends. I took care of you. I used to sneak you out of the house before your dad came in to say goodnight."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jake's jaw tense and his hands form fists. "I don't remember." Heaven said with a look of denial in her eyes. She did remember; Amanda knew she did, but she didn't question it further and tried to control herself emotionally.

_Heaven_

Of course Heaven was annoyed with Amanda already. The way she was spilling tears over something that had happened so long ago didn't make sense to her. She stretched while they walked and yawned, catching a glimpse of Jake smiling at her. She smiled back briefly and then picked up Lucifer. He started purring the instant she touched him. Amanda watched as she twirled and pranced, hugging the cat close to her chest lovingly.

It was funny because usually animals didn't like Heaven. If they brought a dog in the room, it'd snarl at her and bark its head off. She didn't care much for dogs. It used to be the same with cats. She smiled to herself and patted Lucifer on the head. He hardly meowed at her in protest anymore, and she was confident that he didn't need his leash; he'd follow her anywhere, just like Jake would. Again, her thoughts were turned back to Jake. Thoughts; how annoying. She cleared her mind, not wanting to think of him kissing her again; she might have another meltdown.

They turned onto another street, Amanda leading the way, talking to Jake all the while. Jake didn't look very happy to be talking to her. Instead, he looked annoyed. Maybe he wouldn't mind if she died tonight. Heaven sort of wished that he would want to kill her, saving her from having to deal with Amanda in the future. She didn't want anybody from her past to be near her.

Suddenly, a police car turned down the street, driving towards them. Jake pulled Heaven behind him, shielding her from the police man's view. He drove past slowly, gawking at Amanda and looked like he wanted to stop, but he drove past, a look of regret crossing his features. Jake pulled Heaven in front of him as the car drove past so the police man wouldn't catch sight of her in his rear view mirror.

She didn't really mind that he was looking out for her like that, even though if the police man had stopped, she could have had fun with him. Of course, that would mean scaring off tonight's victim, Amanda. The crossed the street in silence before Amanda carried on talking, asking Jake why he was hiding Heaven like that.

"That's none of your business." He answered, sounding stern for the first time. He was really set on protecting her, wasn't he? No matter the cost, he would be right beside her through all of this. She kind of liked it. She watched as Amanda's expression went from flirty to surprised to suspicious.

She finally nodded and said, "Okay." Silence followed this as well as they walked past two more houses. "There it is." Amanda said, looking excited. She almost skipped to the front door. There was loud music playing and there was a tall, lanky guy at the front door who she flirted with for a couple of minutes before he let her in.

Jake and Heaven stood behind her, Heaven looking a little lost and Jake looking bored. After Amanda went inside, the guy at the door looked from Jake to Heaven. His eyes stopped at her chest and he grinned. "Hey," he said. "How's it going, Jake?"

Heaven could feel Jake tense beside her. Jake noticed the guy looking at Heaven's chest as he talked to him. "Hey, Byron." He said almost unwillingly.

"Who's this little girl you've got with you?" he asked. "I didn't know you were into that sort of thing, Jake." He said, his smile looking wicked and dirty. Heaven had a brief look of confusion on her face.

"She's sixteen, Byron," Jake said, sounding disgusted. "I'm not into that kind of thing. I don't drug up little girls and make them 'take it' like you do."

Byron stopped smiling and glared at Jake. "What did you say?" he asked.

"You heard me." Jake said, stepping closer. He didn't bother to reach for his sword, and Heaven was excited; she was anticipating a fight.

Amanda came back to the door. "Hey, Byron," she said, looking silly. She smelled of alcohol and drugs. Byron looked back at her. "You should come join me," she hiccupped, giggling. "It'll be lots of fun."

Byron grinned and looked back at Jake. "You better watch it," He warned, and then he looked at Heaven again and stepped closer. "And you," he said, pulling her closer. "You're always welcome to join us."

Jake shoved Byron back. "Don't touch her, you fucking pervert," he almost yelled. Heaven had just about enough of this kid and wanted him gone. For eternity.

Heaven pushed Jake back slightly and smiled up at him before turning back to Byron, mimicking Amanda's flirty smile. "Sure," she said. "You look promising."

Jake looked confused, but then he realized what she was doing and had to stop himself from grinning. Instead, he pretended to be angry and said, "What! You're actually going with this asshole?"

Byron looked like he'd just won the greatest prize any man could have. "That's right. Looks like your 'girlfriend' here doesn't want you anymore." He said smugly before he grabbed Heaven's waist and pulled her inside. Jake followed them inside, pretending to be upset until they reached the back room, where Byron slammed the door in his face.

As soon as they were inside the room, Byron and Amanda started stripping down. Heaven watched them in curiosity, not really knowing what to do. Before she knew it, Amanda was on her knees in front of Byron. Heaven knelt down and watched, still curious. What was Amanda doing? She looked up at Byron. Reading his face, she could tell he was very happy. He had his lips parted and he pressed his hand to the back of her head, pushing her further down. When she went down willingly, he made a groaning noise and Heaven stood back up. It was like she was invisible at the moment. So she grabbed her scythe and sat, watching Amanda stand up and bend over, putting her hands on the side of the bed.

Whatever they were doing, it was making Heaven wet again. She watched with a perfectly clear mind, remembering what she was seeing. It kind of struck a memory of her father, when he used to say goodnight to her as she watched Byron and Amanda. She wondered how it felt for Amanda, the way she was biting her lip.

Jake was probably standing at the door, listening in just to make sure that Heaven was okay. She could hear him moving from one foot to the other. Byron looked over at Heaven and grinned. "Come over here, little girl. Amanda will make you feel better." He said.

Amanda looked back at him. "Whoa, okay, I don't swing that way." She protested.

"Too bad," he said. "I guess you're not getting anything from me tonight."

She sighed; she looked annoyed, but then smiled and said, "Sure, anything you want, as long as I get my drugs."

Heaven stood up and walked over, not really understanding what he wanted her to do. Amanda looked angry and embarrassed, and Byron looked happy as could be. "Well, what are you waiting for?"He asked as he pointed to the bed. "Lay," he ordered her.

Jake must have been having trouble just standing outside the door listening. He opened the door, causing it to slam against the wall and stomped toward Byron, taking hold of his neck. Heaven's breath caught in her throat as she watched Jake slam Byron into the wall and yell at him. "You think you can take her from me?" He shouted, slamming the back of Byron's head into the wall.

Amanda looked scared and embarrassed. She stood up and pulled on her skirt and shirt. Jake punched Byron in the nose a couple of times before letting him fall to the floor. After that, he started kicking him. Heaven got a weird feeling deep down in her gut and felt a good amount of wetness slip out between her thighs. She gasped silently, watching Jake kick Byron in the stomach, causing him to fall over on his side, groaning in pain. Then she smiled and grabbed her scythe. She would have her kill now.

_Amanda_

Amanda stared in horror as Jake beat Byron half to death. She was startled when Heaven grabbed a handful of her hair and pushed her down to kneel on her knees. She looked up, confused, and then she saw the scythe. Her eyes widened and she started to scream, but Heaven slapped her hand over Amanda's mouth. Amanda's eyes started watering as she realized what was going to happen.

"Heaven," she begged. "Please. You're my friend."

Heaven shook her head and said, "You're no friend of mine."

God have mercy on her soul, she thought, she was about to die. "Please," she sobbed. "Have mercy."

"Do you regret what you've done?" Heaven asked, her voice barely audible.

"Yes," Amanda whispered. "I regret everything. I regret letting you go. When I lost you," her voice broke. "I lost myself, and there was no way of getting either one of us back."

The corners of Heaven's mouth lifted slightly. "You're fortunate God is so forgiving."

Amanda started shaking, heaving, and crying. "God, I ask your forgiveness. I know what I've done wrong, and I want it all to change."She said. She looked up at Heaven, her vision blurred with tears forming in her eyes as Heaven lifted her scythe. She knew now that Heaven was the reaper; she had been born for this and would show no one mercy in the end. She wondered briefly what would happen to Jake, suddenly feeling an odd calmness passing through her. Her parents had been right all along. She didn't deserve to live and her life was a mistake.

Heaven brought the scythe down at an angle, and it was in slow motion to Amanda. She knew she wouldn't feel any pain and welcomed her escape to what would hopefully be heaven. Heaven's scythe cut through her neck and she was beheaded.

_Heaven_

Heaven knew Amanda was feeling relief in the end; her face said it all. And for the first time today, she didn't have the urge to play in her victim's blood. She cleaned her scythe while watching Jake punch Byron repeatedly in the face. She heard his nose breaking, his jaw cracking, and she heard all of his agonizing groans. She licked a small bit of blood from her finger absently.


	6. Chapter 6

**Dreams Are Never Meant to Last**

Heaven woke up on the bed beside Jake, his arm around her protectively. She remembered how he'd beaten Byron to death last night, taking pleasure in watching him suffer. The whole time he was yelling at him not to mess with her. She hugged his arm closer to her stomach and he automatically inched closer to her back, pulling her into his stomach. She liked the feeling; it was comforting, the way he touched her with care, looked at her with admiration, and the way he killed for her safety.

They were still in the same room with the two dead bodies. Byron's body was covered in cuts in bruises while Amanda's was just headless. Heaven didn't care to play with either body; their blood was dirty and poisoned. Jake mumbled something in his sleep and buried his face in her neck. It tickled when his breath hit her skin, seeming to brush against it and lift off, causing her to shiver with the colder air that replaced it.

Her mind was blank for the most part until she heard some kids starting to wake up and move around. They were stumbling and falling into the walls and into each other. She heard some of them ask, "What happened? Where am I?" and some of them would freak out when they finally got the answers to their questions. "My mom's going to kill me!" they said.

She thought about luring another kid back her after hiding the other two bodies. She could make him lay on the bed with her and wake Jake up "by accident" so he would see the other guy messing with her and beat him to death too. It was exciting when he did that for her, but she decided she didn't want to get up yet. She heard Jake yawn a little as he pulled her closer still and wrapped his arms around her stomach. He smelled her hair and she could feel his smile against her skin. "Hi." He said.

"Hey." She returned. He planted a couple of kisses on her ear, and then her neck. She could feel something against her butt, but she didn't ask about it. She didn't want to embarrass him again. She thought that maybe he was still tired and he wasn't thinking about what he was doing because a few moments later he was pressing himself to her and grinding whatever that lump was against her. She could hear him moan slightly and he pulled her over onto her back. She looked up at him with a confused expression.

He laid on top of her and started kissing her on the lips, still grinding against her. She felt herself blush as he bit her lip and tugged on it. "What are you doing?" she asked when he pulled away from her lips.

"I had a dream about you last night," he said instead of answering her question. "I didn't want it to end, so here we are."

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. It was just another question for him to ignore. She should already know the answer, but she didn't want to accept it. She thought about Amanda and Byron last night. Maybe that's what he wanted to do. It scared her a little when an image of her father flashed through her mind. It disappeared in the next instant, followed by a great feeling between her legs. She looked up at Jake. She could feel his arm between them, leading down to where that feeling was coming from.

"Stop," she said, pushing him off.

He looked confused for a moment. "I don't understand you," he said. "You make me think one thing, and then you change at the last minute."

"What?" she asked. Now she was very confused.

"The way you acted yesterday," he said, rolling on his back beside her. "I thought you liked that kind of thing."

Heaven shook her head and sat up, feeling how wet she was between her thighs now. She sighed and said, "Sorry." Even though she didn't mean it one bit. She was sure he knew she didn't mean it either, but he nodded anyway. She was quiet for a couple of minutes before she finally said, "It reminded me of my dad."

She felt Jake tense beside her. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I shouldn't have done that."

So he knew what her father did to her, and he regretted what he was doing then. Heaven looked over at him. He smiled a little and looked at his fingers before licking them. She shuddered; those were the same fingers he was just using, right?

Now she was embarrassed. She just watched him taste what was just inside of her, but he smiled even bigger. "You're blushing," he said. That only made her blush a little more and she turned away. "I'll ask permission next time." Jake said after another minute of silence. He pulled her to him again like before. She could still feel that lump pressed against her. She tried to ignore it, but he was already grinding slightly, probably hoping she wouldn't notice.

"What is that?" she asked, her blush deepening. She already knew the answer. She had seen it last night when Byron was with Amanda. She saw it when Jake killed his father and they bathed in his blood, but she didn't really think about it then. It was just…there.

"Hmm?" he asked, pushing his hand towards the bottom of her stomach to pull her closer. "It's nothing," he almost whispered. "Just ignore it."

It was kind of hard to ignore it when he started pressing himself against her more. He was starting to breathe deeply too, and she was getting a weird sensation in her stomach again. "Why are you doing that?" she asked, almost as breathless as him.

"I'm sorry," he said before grunting quietly. "It feels good. Can I…?" he started to ask while he pushed his hand down between her legs again.

Heaven felt like what he was doing was wrong, but she also enjoyed it. She didn't want him to stop, but she was nervous. "Okay," she mumbled. Her breath caught in her throat momentarily as she felt that same pleasure from only moments before. What was wrong with Jake? He wasn't embarrassed anymore. It was like the conversation they just had only brushed against him, and he forgot about it the instant any of it was said.

She felt his breath brushing against her ear as he tried not to moan. He was grinding harder now, and somewhat faster. She could hear herself doing the same as she tried to breathe normally. It was a great feeling, but she felt dirty at the same time. He pulled his hand away and she could feel him fumbling with his pants behind her quickly before pushing his hand between her legs again. She felt his hand continuously hit her from behind lightly. It seemed to match the speed of his other hand that slipped inside her.

It seemed like forever until he finally moaned deep and low, biting her ear. It made her do the same and she arched her back as he pushed his fingers deep inside her; as deep as they would go. She could feel a warm, thick wetness hit her back after he pushed her dress up. He just laid there after that, pulling his hand from between her legs.

"I know I wasn't thinking clearly," he finally said. "I tend to get like that in the mornings." He explained with what was supposed to be a chuckle. He sounded a little nervous, like he was afraid of something. "I didn't want to get your dress wet." He said after another moment. He sounded awkward for some reason. Heaven didn't know why; she was feeling great and didn't care what he was saying, but listened anyway.

"Okay," she said.

_Jake_

Okay? That was all she had to say? He'd practically raped her! Well, he didn't really rape her, but he felt like it. He felt guilty, mostly because she wanted him to stop before and he didn't. Even after she said that what he was doing reminded her of her father. He was so stupid! He hoped this didn't affect their relationship any. If anything, he wanted them to be closer now, but he would always feel sick about doing these things until she finally started asking for it.

He licked his hand absently and then used the blanket to wipe Heaven's back. She laid there, somewhat limp, and looked lost and careless. That was probably a good thing. He sighed, somewhat relieved that she didn't seem to mind.

"What are you thinking about?" she finally asked.

He didn't say anything for a few moments. "I'm thinking about you, Heaven." He answered. He could feel and see goose bumps forming on her arms. They were small; barely noticeable, but he liked that he had given them to her.

_Tom_

Tom sat in his office, watching Beth get some water through his door. He had to admit that she was cute, and she seemed to have a thing for him. She turned around and caught his eye. She blushed and he went back to his paperwork. She came in the room and shut the door behind her. "Were you just staring at me?" she asked, her blush already gone.

"Me?" he asked, smiling. "Never." She started to say something, but was cut off by his cell phone. He listened for a moment and then said, "I'll be there shortly." while he jotted down the address they gave him.

Once he hung up, Beth asked, "What is it? Something about Heaven?" She looked worried, but excited at the same time. She must have had something for adventure. He smiled a little and nodded.

She scurried after him as he left his office, grabbing his jacket on the way out. "I don't know if you want to see this one," he said when they reached his car. "It's pretty nasty."

"I've seen a lot of nasty things," she argued. "I told you I'm going to help with this case. She was my patient."

"You act like you own the girl," he said before sliding into his car. She did the same and ignored him. He was smirking, shaking his head. "You're a funny girl," he said. "All about excitement."

She just looked out the window, her arms crossed over her chest. He glanced at her and smiled even wider. He found it cute the way she acted around him. He pulled into the driveway, where a woman was standing, looking frantic. When he got out of the car, she ran towards him, crying her eyes out. "They're dead!" she groaned. "I'm the cleaning lady. I went inside and saw blood all over the carpet, and it increased as I followed the drag marks to the bathroom," she sobbed. "They're dead."

He felt sorry for her, but excused himself. Of course Beth was following him. He walked into the living room and saw the massive blood stains in the carpet and followed them into the hallway where they got worse. He stepped into the bathroom and looked at the tub, where there was a rim of blood about half way down to the floor and the blood that covered the sides of it. Body parts were lying on the floor, puddles of blood surrounding them. It looked like a man and woman were killed. He went out to question the cleaning lady.

"You said you were the cleaning lady?" he asked. He waited until she nodded before he continued. "Who are these people?"

"Mr. Owens and Mrs. Owens," she answered, her eyes still watering. "They have a son, Jake Owens, but I haven't seen him lately."

"How old is Jake?" Tom asked while he jotted down some notes.

"Seventeen," she answered again. She looked miserable. "He was a bright boy, but his parents gave him a lot of problems. He runs away every once in a while."

"Okay, thank you," he said. He walked back in the house and looked through the rooms. He found Jake's room upstairs and took one of his pictures. He went back to the bathroom and found Beth with her hand over her forehead, talking to herself.

"Oh, Heaven," she groaned. "What have you done?"

"She might have had some help," Tom said, making her jump. "Their son, Jake, is missing. The cleaning lady said that he had a lot of problems with his parents."

"Heaven doesn't work well with others," Beth argued. "Besides, he could have run away."

"If he hated them enough, he would help Heaven. Or even suggest that they kill them. He could have run away and met her somewhere while he was coming home, angry and not thinking clearly," he shot back. He knew he made a good point. She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then turned back to the bodies. "Do you think she could have killed that man alone?"

"She puts up a very good fight. I've seen her wrestle four men at a time," Beth said, almost taking pride in the girl's strength for a second. "I'm sure she could have taken this one. Especially if he was drunk and if she was using one of the weapons that she stole."

"There wasn't any reason for her to steal two weapons," Tom pointed out. "Why would she need a scythe _and_ a sword?"

"A girl always loves her options," Beth said, smiling. Tom smiled back briefly, almost giving into her logic, but she had to admit: he had reason to suspect that the boy was helping Heaven.

_Jake_

Jake wondered how many people Heaven had killed already. He had already killed two, maybe even three. He turned on the TV after the other kids had finally left to watch the news. They talked about the two store owners who were killed, answering his question, and then they showed Heaven's picture. He started to panic some, because after her picture, his was shown as well. She was posted as an escaped asylum patient who could be behind the murders, and he was posted as a missing child. Was it possible that they could be questioning the fact that he could be helping her?

He counted on his fingers as a couple of people's pictures were shown. The two he didn't know about were a couple found dead in their bathroom. They had been killed in the kitchen, according to the news reporter, and dragged to the bathroom where their blood was used to fill the tub. He could imagine Heaven sliding the blade of her knife down their bodies, giggling as she poured it over her naked body. He shivered and stood up. Six kills for Heaven and three kills for him.

The house they were staying in had to belong to somebody. Of course, they weren't happy when they walked in on Jake and Heaven snuggling in bed. It had upset him even more when he saw what Jake had wiped off Heaven's back. Heaven seemed overly happy at that point and took her next victim. This was her sixth victim, as he watched her walk up to him, lean up and whisper something in his ear, and then jerk his head sharply to the right. He heard a loud cracking sound and a _thump_ as his body hit the floor. He was sure that his parents would be home soon, but he didn't know if Heaven was planning on staying her to wait on them. He stretched and scratched his stomach before walking to the bathroom, where Heaven was doing her favorite thing.

He didn't really expect what he saw, but he liked it. She didn't hear him come in and had the curtain pulled back. When he opened it, he saw her pull her hands up from the blood, blushing. "Hey," he said with a grin. She didn't answer. She just kept her eyes on his, her blush fading. In a way, it was kind of seducing. "Did you like that feeling I gave you this morning?" he asked. She nodded after a moment or two, not really sure if she should answer. He pulled up his sleeves and started rubbing blood on her back. "You don't have to stop."

It took her a little while, but she gave into the temptation and dipped her hand back into the blood. He smiled and started rubbing blood on her breasts, making circular motions and squeezing them gently. She seemed to like that a lot, the way she blushed and parted her lips. He wondered what Heaven had seen last night, with Amanda and Byron. When he walked in, it looked like Byron was about to start, with Amanda bent over in front of him and Heaven sitting in front of her. It would've been hot, but only if it was him instead of Byron. Well, he wouldn't mind if Amanda was gone too. He pictured it and felt his pants get tighter.

There was no way he was going to do this again. Not unless she asked, and he had a feeling that she wasn't ready to. He watched as her stomach tightened and her back arched. She closed her eyes and let out the smallest moan, but it drove him crazy when he heard it. "You like that feeling a lot don't you?" he asked, forcing himself to chuckle.

She smiled at him and said, "Yes, very much."

"Good," he said.

_Beth_

"Are we going to look at the other bodies Heaven left?" Beth asked Tom. He looked really annoyed, but she didn't care. "I want to see them."

"They're already gone, in the lab," Tom said with a heavy sigh. "Now stop bugging me and go get some lunch or something."

"I don't feel like it," Beth said, pulling herself up on his desk, swinging her legs back and forth. He rolled his eyes and stood up to leave his office. She couldn't help but admire him as he stalked off. Once he was out of sight, she turned and sifted through his papers quickly. She took a look at his notes from questioning the cleaning lady.

These were crappy notes. That's all she had to say about that. She pulled out her own notes and jotted Jake's information down that he had gotten. She also looked at his picture. Was this really the type of boy that Heaven would get involved with? Or at least try to, but chances is that if she did find him, he is either dead, or he ran away from her. Even if his parents did give him a lot of trouble, it didn't mean that it drove him to want to kill them. She set the papers back and caught a glimpse of Tom coming back through the other room. She turned her notebook over to the previous page, where she kept all of Heaven's information.

Tom didn't seem to notice any difference in his papers. He sat down with another heavy sigh and leaned back in his chair. "What do you got over there?" he asked, closing his eyes.

"You're not interested," she said. "Why would I tell you?"

He peeked at her and said, "I'm interested if it has to do with the case."

"It has to do with my patient," she said as she slid her finger down the page. She remembered the first time she met Heaven.

"So," Beth had said to her when she came into the room. "You're patient 4311."

Heaven hadn't said anything for a long time and stood at the door, a look of rage in her eyes. "Why am I here?" she had asked angrily.

"What do you remember?" Beth asked, standing up. "You know what you did, and now you're paying the price. That's what happens to bad little girls."

Heaven was only six at the time. For two weeks, she wouldn't talk at all. They would sit in Beth's office, so silent that they could hear the phones ringing down the hall at the main desk. Finally, Beth had asked her, "When is your birthday?"

"The first of October," Heaven answered after a couple of moments.

"How did your parents celebrate with you?"

"They didn't."

"What did they do?"

"Worked or cleaned."

"Why?"

"They didn't care about me."

"You really believe that?"

"Yes."

"You're smart for your age. Did you have any friends?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Amanda."

It would continue like this for another three weeks before Heaven started talking about her parents more, and the horrible things they did. After another five weeks, she locked everything else up. She said she made herself forget, and it's always been the same since then.

For Heaven's seventh birthday, Beth decided to celebrate it as if she were a normal child. It hadn't really worked out the way she had hoped. "Heaven," she had said when her patient stepped into her office. "It's the first of October."

Heaven had just stared at her, her eyes blank and emotionless. "What does that mean?" she finally asked.

"Happy birthday."

"Birthday?"

"Yeah, you're seven now!" Beth tried to look and sound excited.

"I don't care how old I am."

After that, Beth had pulled out her birthday present and handed it to her, but Heaven just stared at it for a couple of minutes and then finally threw it down on the floor. She didn't cry, she didn't scream or yell, and she didn't move. Instead, she just stood there, staring at the broken pieces.

"Beth?" Tom's voice pulled her back to the present. He looked at her with curiosity. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered before clearing her throat. She smiled at him and he smiled back hesitantly. He had no idea just how interested she was in her patient. She would keep looking at Heaven's victims and keep feeling that same spark. She wanted to know more about her patient. She was obsessed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Moving On**

_Heaven_

Heaven was excited to keep exploring the city. She still had Lucifer behind her every step of the way. Her cat loved her and would brush against her legs, twining his tail around her ankles and meowing at her to pick him up. She would hold him like a baby for an hour or two and then she would put him down again and pat his head. Jake was like the cat, always by her side, and she liked that too. Instead of her carrying him, he would often carry her. Usually it was on his back, which she really loved. He called it a "piggy-back ride".

They had been wondering around the city for two days now, and both mornings, she had found him in the living room watching the news with a bowl of cereal in his lap. He would watch to see how many victims the police had found. They were right behind them, never really getting anywhere. She asked, "How many?"

He would answer her every time with his score and her score, kind of like it was a contest. Maybe it was just a "guy thing" or maybe he wanted to be like her. He had been the one to kill majority of their last few victims. They were tied at eight. They never killed anybody younger than they were, but she planned on it as she watched a spoiled little girl complain to her parents across the street, or at least a fair warning. She stomped her foot, crossed her arms, and her bottom lip popped out. Her parents stood over her, telling her it was okay, and giving in. They would buy her anything her little heart desired.

Heaven never liked kids like that. Her play toy, from the cafeteria, was like that. She would whine and complain until she got what she wanted, and if she didn't, she would throw things and kick people. Heaven didn't know her name, so she called her "play toy". Play toy wanted something from Heaven one day, and without a single word, Heaven picked up her spoon and gouged her toy's eye out and then gave her what she wanted. It was a fair trade.

She watched as the girl smiled when her dad came out of the store with a white cat. Heaven looked down at Lucifer. He was staring at the other cat. Heaven smiled and crossed the street, throwing Jake off as he skidded to a stop and then turned to jog after her. The girl looked up as Heaven came to a stop in front of her. The girl's parents looked a little annoyed, but stayed. "Hello," Heaven said to the girl with a fake smile. They eyed her scythe, looking cautious.

"What do you want?" the little girl asked, sneering.

"I want my cat." Heaven said calmly.

"This is my cat!" the girl yelled, almost suffocated the cat the way she was holding it.

"No, Angel is my cat."

By now, the girl's parents were stepping in, asking what Heaven's problem was. Jake also stepped in, warning them to stay out of it. He pulled his sword out some so they could see a glimpse of it. They stopped arguing as soon as they saw it. "Sarah," the girl's mother said softly. "Sweetheart, you need to give the girl her cat."

The girl shook her head and screamed at her mom next. The cat she was holding hissed and struggled until it was free of the girl, and then it ran off. Heaven watched it run away and then looked down at Lucifer. He stared up at her, purring, and then took off after the other cat. The little girl started hitting and kicking Heaven. She grabbed the little girl's arm and started dragging her off while her parents screamed after her, Jake standing in their way.

_Jake_

Jake hated to break a family apart like this, but it was Heaven's wish. He sighed as the girl's parents started to push past him. He grabbed the woman's shirt and her husband turned around angrily. "You let her go!" he shouted. Jake could hear the woman whimpering. He pulled his sword out and held it to her throat.

"You will stay here, or she dies," he threatened.

The man looked helpless. Jake felt bad about the little girl, but he had to keep Heaven out of trouble. He wanted to apologize, hand the woman over, and find Heaven before she hurt the little girl. The woman whimpered and sobbed. "Go find our little girl," she told her husband. "I'd rather die than lose her forever."

Jake was surprised that the girl's parents cared that much. "Wait," he said as the man started turning. "I don't want to make a mess of this. I can promise you that Sarah will be okay if you don't follow me." He surprised himself at what he was saying.

"I don't trust you," the man said angrily.

"Would you rather have your wife die?" Jake asked. The man looked defeated and shook his head. Jake put his sword down and ran after Heaven. He looked over his shoulder to check on the couple, but they were standing there helplessly, watching him. He wondered if they would call the police and ran faster, wanting to beat the phone call.

He turned down an alley way and found Heaven with the girl. They were petting the white cat as Lucifer wrapped himself around Heaven's ankle. "Heaven," he said, panting. "We need to take her back to her parents before they call the police."

Heaven gave him a blank look that said she didn't care. He returned it with a look that begged her to care. The girl stood up and hugged Heaven, obviously surprising her. "You take good care of her, okay?" she said. She turned to Jake after that and he picked her up. He jogged back to the girl's parents, a look of relief on the man's face. He was still angry, but he didn't say anything as Jake turned around again and ran back to Heaven.

_Beth_

"You mean you actually saw her?" Beth asked, a little too excited. The couple certainly wasn't excited to be sharing the news.

"Yes," the man answered. "She took our little girl and we couldn't chase after her because her boyfriend was holding us back. He threatened to kill my wife if I chased her down." His fists were shaking at this point. Beth watched as Tom wrote this information down and then he pulled out the picture he had gotten from that house.

"Is this him?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's him!" the man said. "You better catch that bastard! He put his sword to my wife's throat!"

Beth was surprised when he said that Jake was helping Heaven. She had been wrong after all! She looked at the man's wife, a few feet away from them, who was sobbing and holding her little girl.

"A waste of money too," the man mumbled. "I bought a cat for Sarah, my kid, and that's when they crossed the street. The girl had a scythe so of course I was scared that she would hurt my kid."

Tom nodded and wrote more information down, said thank you, and then went to question the little girl. Beth followed him as if she were a ghost, here to watch a movie without being noticed. "Where did the girl take you?" Tom was asking.

The girl smiled at him and said, "We had to look for her cat because it ran away. She was nice to me though!"

"Did she talk to you at all?" Tom asked.

"She told me not to complain anymore," the girl said. "She said that if I continued to complain, I would be punished later. She told me she would see me again soon." She grinned ear to ear.

Tom looked at the girl and then at Beth. "We need to keep an eye on her," he said. "She's planning on killing her."

Beth watched as the little girl's face twisted in anger and prepared for yelling. "She won't hurt me!" the girl screamed. Tom ignored her and talked with her parents again.

After a few minutes he turned back to her and said, "I hope you're up for babysitting."

_Heaven_

"Did you really want the cat that bad?" Jake asked Heaven. He didn't look or sound annoyed, but she knew he was.

She ignored his question and instead, said, "Her name is Angel."

He cracked a smile then. "Angel and Lucifer, huh?"

"Yup," she said with a smile. She had the leash on Angel now because she wasn't sure if the cat would run away or not. Lucifer padded along next to Angel, purring. Angel would hiss at him when he got too close or brushed his tail against her. Heaven giggled while watching Angel hiss at Lucifer. Lucifer looked up at her knowingly and kept purring.

Jake took the leash and pushed it over his hand onto his wrist before holding her hand. "It's funny how Angel doesn't act very angelic. Lucifer is nicer than her," he said. Heaven looked up and saw him making the comparison in his head. She nodded, feeling bored and somewhat lousy.

"What are we going to do today?" she asked.

Jake looked down at her. "Whatever you want." Heaven sighed and looked up. Her eyes widened as she spotted the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen. Jake noticed her staring and followed her gaze to a window where the white gown was. He grinned and said, "You've never seen a wedding dress before, have you?"

Heaven shook her head and asked, "What's a 'wedding dress'?"

"Come on, you should know what a wedding is. When two people get married. You know, they say their vows and exchange rings before the priest says, 'you may kiss the bride' and then the groom does exactly that." He explained slowly. "When you get married, you spend the rest of your life with the person you cherish most," he said, his voice a little softer. Heaven looked up and blushed. He was looking at her with a deep admiration again.

"The dress is pretty," she said, feeling her cheeks getting hotter.

"It would look better if you were wearing it," Jake said softly, smiling at her. Her stomach flipped and she felt like there were butterflies fluttering deep inside her gut. He leaned down and tilted her head back; she felt as if she might faint from being so light headed. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and kissed her. His lips felt soft and warm against hers. He pulled away slowly and kissed her forehead just as softly before wrapping his other arm around her in an embrace.

"You kissed me," Heaven whispered. Thoughts flooded into her mind, images of her in the white dress, standing next to Jake, who wore a tux.

Jake chuckled softly and whispered, "Yes, I did."

"Will you tell me more about weddings?" she asked.

"Of course," he said, smiling. "We could even go see one, if you want."

Heaven nodded, looking a little spacey. "Sure," she said.

Jake explained what weddings were like as he walked with her, taking her to the church. He told her how the bride and groom's family and friends sat in the pews, how they would cut the cake together, and how they would dance together after the marriage. He gave details about how the wedding was set up; all kinds of decorations such as flowers, silverware, plates, tables, chairs, and alters. Heaven was enjoying herself, setting up her own wedding in her head. If she would marry anyone, it would be Jake, even if they didn't have anybody there to celebrate with them.

When they reached the church, Heaven looked up at the windows and the large doors. It reminded her of a castle, with the stained windows, the heavy wooden doors, and the tall walls that went up into points, made of bricks the color of cream.

Jake led her inside and walked her down the aisle between the rows of pews. The priest, she assumed, was standing at the front with his back towards them. Jake stopped her and grabbed her scythe. "He won't let us in here if he sees these," he explained, whispering. He set them in a pew and started walking again. Lucifer padded along with Angel still, walking behind them a couple of steps, careful to avoid their feet.

The priest turned around, holding a small book in his hands. He looked up, fixing his glasses to get a better view of them. "Ah, hello," he said with a smile. He closed his book and set it down on a stool. "What can I do for you, children?" he asked. He sounded very nice, the way he talked, but the look he shot Heaven said otherwise.

"Are there going to be any weddings anytime soon?" Jake asked.

"I'm afraid not," the priest answered. He looked down at the cats when Angel hissed at Lucifer for pressing his nose to hers. "I'm sorry, but you can't bring your cats in here."

"Angel might run away," Heaven said.

The priest's eyes lightened some. "You named your cat Angel?" he asked. "An angel never leaves. She will stay to watch over you."

"No, Lucifer is the one who does that," Heaven explained.

"Lucifer?" the priest's lips formed a tight line. "Why would you name your cat Lucifer?"

"Heaven just thought it was fitting for him," Jake said, cutting in.

The priest looked amused. "Lucifer, Heaven, and Angel," he repeated. "What is your name, son?"

"Jake," he answered.

"I thought I recognized you," the priest said, pointing his finger. "Your parents used to drag you in here, kicking and screaming."

Jake didn't smile; instead, he flinched. "I find church boring."

The priest frowned. "Does it matter if you're bored? You need God on your side, or you'll end up in the wrong place."

Jake's eyes narrowed. "You're telling me I'll go to Hell."

Heaven looked up at Jake, her earlier enthusiasm gone. He was remembering his parents. "Well, yes," the priest said. "Without faith, you'll burn for eternity."

Now Jake turned on his heels and walked down the aisle, grabbing the scythe and sword. The priest gasped and looked at Heaven. "It's you, isn't it? God have mercy on that boy's soul!" he raised his cross, gripping it tightly. "You've dragged him with you, and you're going straight to Hell."

Heaven was annoyed, so she followed Jake, ignoring the priest's "holy words". Jake handed her the scythe and took her hand, also ignoring him. Once they were outside he asked, "Now I'm wondering why I didn't kill him."

"You don't need to," Heaven said. Jake looked at her funny. "He's old, and he'll have a heart attack tomorrow anyway."

"How do you know?" he asked. She didn't, but she said it anyway to calm him down.

"Trust me. It will happen."

_Jake_

Jake led Heaven around the city, walking to the nearest park for them to hang out. He was smiling to himself while he looked down at the sidewalk. That priest would die tomorrow? It would be a miracle if Heaven was right and he did die. Maybe she could do curses or something. He wasn't really sure, but he smiled at her anyway, happy to be with her now. She smiled back and he glanced past her and then stopped walking. The news was on again, playing through the window of an electronics store.

Her picture was on every single one. He looked back at her with wide eyes and said, "Let's go." He tugged on her hand and started walking faster. He found a barber's shop just around the corner and went inside. Heaven waited outside with the cats, looking bored. Jake glanced around and went to the counter. It was empty except for the man at the desk, who was flipping through a magazine. "Excuse me," Jake said. The man looked up as Jake talked, "How much for a haircut and dye?"

"Twenty for you," the man said with a smile. Jake shuddered and said his thanks. He went outside and brought Heaven in, who had Lucifer curled in her arms.

"I need you to cut her hair," he said. "She will choose what she wants."

Heaven looked up at him and asked, "Why are we cutting my hair?"

"Yes," the man said. "_Why_ would you cut such _beautiful _hair?"

Jake wrapped his arm around Heaven's waist. "I think you'll look good with short hair too."

When she looked confused, he gave her a look that said he would explain later. She understood; she nodded and smiled at the man. "Okay, what can you do for me?"

It felt like forever to Jake, waiting on this guy to finish doing Heaven's hair. Jake watched as he washed it delicately and then started snipping away after Heaven pointed to a picture in a magazine. The man layered it and then started working on the front, cutting bangs for her. Jake leaned to the side to look around the man, but he kept moving. Jake sighed heavily and tapped his foot. A few minutes later and he was working on coloring her hair. Heaven looked interested as she watched him in the mirror, admiring his work.

Jake smiled and thought that if she had a normal life, she would have been a cosmetologist. He started day dreaming about meeting her then too, but on different circumstances. He imagined walking into the barber's shop, bored with his mother, and he would look up and see her sitting at the desk. She would smile and introduce herself and he would start talking to her. They would plan to hang out sometime, like going to the park or the movies. They would start dating, and before he knew it, they would be living together, in their early twenties, planning to get married.

Heaven's giggle brought his attention back to her. She was petting her hair, turning her head to get a better look. She smiled at him when she walked over and bent down so he could feel her hair. "Soft," he said, smiling.

"Now it's your turn," she said back excitedly.

"Wait, what?" he asked, shocked.

The man came over and held a magazine out for him. "I'll do yours for free, handsome."

Jake struggled not to shudder again and took the magazine, looking up at Heaven. If it made her happy, he would get his hair cut. If anything, he would get it layered and put some red highlights in it. When he told the man what he wanted, he waited for his hair to be done, watching Heaven the whole time as she played with Lucifer and Angel. He smiled; it looked like Angel was starting to warm up to Lucifer, and of course she already loved Heaven.

It wasn't long before his hair was finished. He stood up and paid the man and said thanks. The man smiled back and told him to have a nice day. He must have been oblivious to what was happening lately, and who was on the news. He looked back at Heaven, who was twirling and holding Angel out, dancing with her. Hopefully he would be able to convince her to change her clothes.

The color she had chosen for her hair was a blood red. It looked good, and she could wear some skinny jeans and look really good. He pictured her in converse, black skinny jeans, a yellow shirt, and a black jacket. She wore eye liner and had just gotten her ears pierced. He smiled at the thought and led her outside while he pictured her in a different white dress. A shorter one with thin straps and a bow around the waist, and she would wear a half jacket over it. She would like that look better because she would be able to stain it. He didn't really want her to stain her clothes anymore, so he would have her undress before playing with anyone. He liked that thought too; he pictured her naked now while looking at her.

"Do you want to go shopping?" he asked a moment later.

"Shopping?"

"Yeah, for clothes."

"Okay," she said while smiling.

He smiled back and said, "Good, we'll shop when it gets dark outside." Honestly, he didn't have much money left. Maybe enough for them to stop by a fast food restaurant and get some milkshakes or sandwiches. They would have to steal some clothing or they would have to break into someone's house, kill them if they were home, and take all of their money. He should have grabbed some money at his house before they left. He knew he couldn't go back now with the police looking for him. Maybe he was still listed as "missing", but he had no way of knowing. He only saw Heaven's picture in the window earlier.

They played at the park, swinging and climbing the monkey bars for a while until the sun started to set. His stomach growled and he dropped down onto the ground. Heaven did the same, giggling. Jake looked over at Angel and Lucifer. Angel was tied up and Lucifer sat by her, his eyes closed as she licked his ear. Jake already knew he was purring and chuckled. "Are you hungry?" he asked Heaven.

"Yes, very hungry!" she said.

"Let's go get something to eat," he said, taking her hand. "Come on."

Jake untied Angel and pushed her leash over his wrist again while Heaven picked Lucifer up. He pushed his nose to hers as a thank you and she giggled. Jake smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist, since her hands were full.

Jake opened the door for Heaven and they stepped inside a Wendy's restaurant. He watched as Heaven looked around in wonder, staring at lights and touching the tables they walked past, laying the cat against her chest and holding his back with one arm. She smiled at him when they reached the cash register. His heart skipped a beat and he said, "What do you want to eat?"

The boy behind the cash register was looking at her. Jake glanced at him and pulled her closer, his arm still around her waist. "For here or to go?" he asked, smiling at her.

She looked at the boy and said, "Where would we go?"

He laughed, thinking it was a joke, and then noticed she was serious. His face was like a question mark when he said, "Back to your place." He looked at Jake and grinned. "I know you. You live three houses down from me." Jake's heart jumped momentarily when the boy had said, "I know you".

Jake nodded. "Yeah, I've seen you around before." Just how many people watched the news anymore? "For here."

He picked out his food, and then Heaven's food because she didn't know what to do, where to look for the menu or what half the stuff was. Before he had left the cash register, the boy tugged his sleeve and asked, "Is she…" he made a coo-coo gesture with his hand and looked at Heaven. "Or is she just new to the U.S?" he asked.

"She's not from around here. Her family didn't allow any outside contact with the world." Jake told him. He wasn't really lying because the asylum really didn't allow her to have any contact with the world. She'd always been locked up, since she was little.

He sat down at the table she had picked out and set her food in front of her. She stabbed one of her fries with a fork and put it in her mouth. He glanced at the kid behind the counter, noticing the way he was staring at her. He wanted to throw his drink at the kid for the way he kept looking at her chest. Instead, he took a drink and watched heaven as she stabbed her drink with her straw. He took it from her and showed her where to insert it, took her fork, picked up a fry, and held it to her lips. "You don't have to use a fork for this either," he explained. "Like the pizza."

"Oh!" she exclaimed before biting down on the fry, also catching the tip of his finger in her mouth. He winced a little and pulled his finger back slowly. She smiled at him, oblivious to the fact that she'd bitten him.

_Beth_

"You're obsessed," Tom said, obviously annoyed.

"I'm not _obsessed_," Beth argued. "I'm just interested."

He rolled his eyes and she shot him a glare. They were pulling into a Wendy's parking lot. "Well, because of you, I have to waste all my time making sure you don't get killed or something."

"I think I can take care of myself," Beth said, straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin, as if she still had any pride left.

"Liar," he muttered.

"I heard that!" she called after him when he closed the door. She watched him walk into the restaurant with her arms folded across her chest angrily, but watching him, she couldn't help how her expression softened. She'd been spending so much time with him; sure, it drove them both crazy, but she felt a connection-and attraction-between the two of them. She sighed and watched as he ordered through the window.

Her eyes swept through the rest of the restaurant through the windows. Her gaze passed over a tall kid who was standing up, picking a tray up to walk it over to the trash can. She squinted, seeing a couple of piercings, and then she pulled out Jake's photo. She did a double take, and then another. Finally, her eyes widened and she shoved the car door open, scrambling to jump out of the car, but she was held back by her seatbelt.

She quickly freed herself and skittered across the parking lot, heading for the door while she watched Jake stare at Tom and pull Heaven up as silently as he could. Heaven had dyed her hair and got it cut, but Beth new that face anywhere. It took a moment to register, but Heaven's expression had changed. She didn't look so devious anymore; she looked innocent and happy. Her eyes were still blank, but not as dull. It made Beth shudder.

She pushed through the door and caught Jake's arm as he was pushing out the other door. He hadn't expected this, thinking it was only Tom to worry about. She'd gotten a good grasp on his sleeve, feeling triumphant. "I've got you, Heaven," she hissed as she grabbed the girl's arm.

"Don't touch her!" Jake yelled. He shoved her into the door she had just come through, pushing his arm to her throat. She struggled to breathe as he whispered into her ear. "You didn't see us. You're going to let us go." Her vision was a little blurry, but she saw Tom glance over out of the corner of her eye. He looked bored at first, but his expression quickly changed and he ran over to the door.

She felt Jake pull away, slipping his jacket off as he pushed out the other door, picking Heaven up and running to the parking lot. She felt herself sliding down a little and held onto the wall for support. Tom caught her and helped her back to the car. She knew he would question her when she felt better, and then he'd yell at her for doing it alone. It was only because he worried, and it flattered her. She smiled, despite the fact that Heaven and Jake had just escaped. She watched as two cats followed them and wondered briefly if they belonged to Heaven.

_Jake_

"That was close," Jake muttered as he put Heaven down next to a small truck. "We need to get out of here."

"Where will we go?" Heaven asked. She was staring back at the restaurant, where the sheriff was hauling the woman to his car.

"Do you know that lady?" he asked, opening the door for her. Lucifer and Angel both jumped into the car and laid in the middle of the seat. He couldn't answer her question because he didn't have a clue what the answer was.

It took her a moment to answer, but she finally said, "Yeah. She was my counselor."

He glanced back at the sheriff as he looked around the parking lot. Heaven climbed inside the truck and he shut the door behind her as quietly as he could. He jogged around the back of the truck and climbed in, searching for some keys. He looked down inside the door, and sure enough, there were the keys. His parents used to do the same thing, he remembered, and thought about going back to the house to get the car and some more money, but shook his head. He started the truck and tore out of the parking lot.

"Where are we going?" Heaven tried to ask the question again.

"I don't know, but we're leaving the city."

_Heaven_

Heaven didn't really understand why Jake looked so afraid. He kept glancing over at her every time he shifted gears. She looked down at his hand that was resting on the stick, his fingers covering the little letters that were printed on it. "You know how to drive?" she asked after a moment. She wanted to distract him, to keep him from looking scared.

"Yeah, I got my license last year," he said. It wasn't working. Why did she want to distract him? It wouldn't help her any. She sat back and crossed her arms, looking out the window. She was suddenly upset. She wasn't supposed to care about anything or anyone. "Heaven," Jake mumbled. She looked at him and saw his face had softened. They stopped at a red light and he reached over to grab her hand. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" she felt her cheeks getting warm, but she was confused too.

"I know you're not used to this," he said quietly. "You must hate me for making you aware of your feelings."

Heaven blinked a couple of times. Jake was really smart, but she hadn't expected him to know so much. "I don't hate you."

"But it's confusing you," he said while he glanced at the light and started driving again. "I can tell that it upsets you."

It was like Beth all over again, only it wasn't so annoying this time. She started to slip back into the past, feeling him pull her closer to him, across the seat. She heard Angel meow in protest before hopping down to the floor board, Lucifer following close behind her. As their paws padded against the floor of the truck, Heaven could hear Beth's pen tapping against her notebook.

"I know you still have feelings, Heaven. It's part of being human," Beth said. The tapping stopped as she pulled her pen to her lips, looking thoughtful. "You can deny it all you want, but you know the truth. It's only a matter of time before you realize that I'm right."

"You don't know anything," Heaven argued.

"I may not know much about you, but I do know that you are human. You're a normal little girl with normal dreams. You want a good family, a good-"

Heaven cut her off. "No, I don't want a family, and I'm not normal. A normal little girl doesn't murder her parents and drink their blood from a tea cup."

"That might not have been normal, but the reason why you did it was because you wanted a good family. One that your parents couldn't provide for you," she shot back, leaning forward in her chair causing it to squeak in protest. "Let's talk about your father."

"I will not talk about that man," Heaven growled.

"It's been two years, Heaven. I think it's time we talked about him."

"No!" Heaven screamed, picking up a glass plate that hung on the wall. It had the Ten Commandments written on it in cursive. She had read it several times before; so many times that she had memorized every single one. She threw it at Beth and missed. Beth hit a button on her desk, sounding a buzzer in the next room. Three men came in through the door and carried her off to her room, taking her kicking and screaming.

"We'll talk about it one day, Heaven," Beth called after her as they carried her out of the room. "You'll feel better when we do, and you won't have so much hatred anymore."

Jake shifted gears again, causing it to squeak like Beth's chair had. Heaven opened her eyes and noticed it was dark out. She looked up at Jake, noticing the dark circles starting to form under his eyes. "Jake," she mumbled sleepily. "You should get some rest."

"We're not far enough away yet." He said, sounding hopeless.

"Let me drive then."

Jake looked down at her, shifting gears again. "I don't think so. You don't know how to drive."

"You'd be surprised," she argued. "Let me try, or take ten minutes to teach me."

Jake shook his head. "Maybe tomorrow. I'll pull over so we can both sleep."

Heaven looked down at Lucifer and Angel. They reminded her of that yin-yang sign that she'd seen once at the asylum, when there were bringing in a girl who was a couple years older than she was. She was walking in the hallways when they brought her in. She was Asian, with red hair-dyed obviously, and it was in pigtails. She had stopped, causing the nurses to attempt dragging her along. "What are you staring at, freak?" she shouted.

"What's that sign on your back?" Heaven asked, ignoring the names.

"If you don't know, you're stupid," the girl said with a bite in her tone, but she answered anyway. "It's a yin-yang sign."

"What's that?" Heaven asked, but the nurses were dragging her off, picking up speed again.

"I'll tell you about it later, if I see you again." Then they disappeared down the hall and around the corner.

Heaven smiled, remembering the tone of that girl's voice whenever she spoke. Like Heaven, she was a "kicker". She struggled to get away from nurses, losing her temper easily. "What are you smiling about?" Jake asked tiredly, turning off the engine of the truck. She didn't answer, but he didn't seem to mind. He turned and rested his head against the door, pulling her on his lap. He closed his eyes as she rested her head on his chest and they fell asleep together without another word.

_Beth_

"It was them," Beth mumbled more to herself than to Tom. He kept his eyes on her while she stared down at her hot chocolate. "They snuck right by you, and you didn't notice. I had to do _something_."

"You could have gotten yourself killed. It would have been better to walk past like you didn't know anything and tell me. I could have caught them, Beth."

"By the time you got outside, they would be running across the parking lot." She paused a moment. "Why didn't you go after them? You said they pulled out in a small truck."

"You know why I didn't go after them. You were unconscious and I didn't want to risk you being hurt." Beth looked up at him then. He was blushing and turned away, pretending to look for something at his desk. "This is exactly why I didn't want you following me everywhere."

"Too bad," Beth snapped. He turned around to face her. "I've already told you that Heaven is _my_ patient."

"Yes, I know. _Your_ patient," he said, almost mocking her. She stood up angrily, dropping the hot chocolate on the floor. He looked down at it and shook his head. "Thank God this is tile."

Beth glared at him and turned away, storming out the door. He followed her to the door and grabbed her arm. "You're not going home tonight. You've got a target on your back now."

"Who said I was going home?" Beth asked, not looking at him. He hesitated, but let go. She walked to the bathroom, turning back to look at him one more time before opening the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Student Driver**

_Heaven_

"Jake," Heaven said, shaking him by his shoulders. "Jake!" He mumbled a couple of words and started snoring lightly again. Heaven sighed and pulled him to the passenger's side of the car. She climbed around him and thought about how he had turned the keys in what he said the ignition was the day before. She turned the key and held it there until she heard the truck roar, coming to life. She smiled and slammed her foot on one of the pedals, but nothing happened. She frowned and looked at the stick shift. She saw the letter D and decided that was for drive. She switched into drive and tried again. Her head slammed back against the seat and she slammed on the other pedal, making Jake and the cats fall forward. She sat Jake back up, who was surprisingly still asleep. Angel glared up at her as Lucifer licked her head, smoothing her fur back into place.

After taking another breath, she put her foot back on the first pedal lightly this time and they started inching forward. She watched as a small red stick moved across numbers on the dash board. 20…30…40… She looked up again at the road and felt a rush of excitement. She kept the wheel steady with a big smile on her face, proud of her accomplishment.

"What the…" Jake mumbled as he came to. He squinted his eyes as the sun shone down on his face. "Are you driving?"

"Yup!" Heaven said excitedly.

"Have you been switching gears?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"You weren't awake to teach me."

Jake looked at her for a couple of moments and shook his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You're such a goofball."

"Is that a good thing?" she asked, taking her eyes off the road and turning towards him.

"Yeah, it is," he answered, smiling. "Keep your eyes on the road." Heaven nodded and looked back at the road. There was a sharp turn coming up and she had been driving straight the whole time so far. She looked down at the wheel and felt Jake's eyes on her. She tightened her grip as the turn neared. "Don't jerk the wheel," Jake said, almost as if he could read her mind. She nodded again and started turning slowly as the turn started and kept turning more and more as it curved. Her eyes widened as a set of hills appeared further down the way with trees on either side.

Jake leaned over and looked at the dash board. "We're low on gas." He let out a heavy sigh and settled back into his seat. "I don't have any more money either, so we're going to have to walk until we find another car," he said, almost to himself. "It's better if we lay low for a while though, just so the police don't find us."

"You're worried about the police," Heaven said, looking at him.

"They're looking for you," he said, and then he looked away. "For us." A long silence followed his words as Heaven struggled to see over the hills. She leaned up in her seat and gawked. "Don't slow down, speed up and then let off the gas when we go down," Jake said simply. Heaven did as she was told. She felt nauseous every time they drove over a hill and wanted to slow down to stop it. It was like her stomach was flipping around in excitement.

Jake turned a dial on the dash in front of the gear stick and there was a sudden blast of sound that made Heaven take her hands off the wheel to cover her ears. He rushed to turn another dial and it quieted down some. In the next second, he reached over and took the wheel, keeping it straight before they drove into a ditch. "Sorry," he muttered as she took her hands off her ears and gripped the wheel.

"It's okay," she whispered, her heart racing. "What's that sound?"

Jake looked at her in surprise and turned the dial a little, making the sound audible. She listened as a beat started and a man started saying a stream of words, rhyming them as he went. _She moves her body like a cyclone…_ She looked at Jake in curiosity. "It's called music?" he looked confused, like she should know this. "They don't let you listen to music at home?"

"No," she said. "Is this the only kind of music?"

"Nah, this is just rap," he said with a smile. "You don't like it?"

She listened for a while. "It's okay, but it's hard to tell what they're saying."

Jake turned another dial and there was some static, followed by another song. _I'll keep you my dirty little secret…_ Jake's smile widened and he sang along with the music. "I love this song," he paused to say. "It's the All-American Rejects."

"That's a funny name," Heaven mumbled to herself.

"It's the name of the band," he said when the man stopped singing.

"What's the noise in the background?"

"Drums, guitar, bass…" Jake counted them on his fingers. "Sometimes they put pianos, violins, and keyboards in the music too."

Another song started playing with what sounded like a keyboard, and then a man said, "People! It's so good to be back!" and then he started making funny sounds like _erc-ee-erc_. Heaven listened as he started rapping as Jake called it.

"Eminem." Was all Jake said, nodding his head to the beat. Heaven found herself doing the same thing, listening more intently. _ Crazy insane or insane crazy _caught her attention. She thought this man could certainly be crazy. The next thing she knew, she was singing along. Jake was watching her, his eyes showing his surprise, but he was also smiling.

"Eminem," Heaven repeated quietly when the song ended.

"Yup, and Dr Dre," Jake said. "You caught on fast."

Heaven didn't say anything. She was replaying the words in her head and decided that she liked this Eminem band that she heard. "I want to listen to more from the Eminem band," she finally said.

"It's just Eminem. He also calls himself Slim Shady, but his real name is Marshall," Jake messed with the dials again and then started looking through the truck, opening compartments that Heaven didn't know were there. He pulled out some CDs and looked through them. "Looks like you got lucky, because the owner of this truck is an Eminem fan," he said as he popped one into the dash. "This first one is called America," he muttered, looking at the back of the case the CD had been in.

They were silent as the CD played and Heaven kept driving. Every once in a while Jake would lean over and look at the gas they had left. She didn't know where he was looking, but she kept her eyes on the road. It was starting to curve more, and it had a lot of hills. It was nonstop twisting, turning, ups, and downs.

_Jake_

After listening for Eminem for so long, Jake was ready to turn the CD off, but Heaven wouldn't let him. Every time he reached for the dials, she would look at him from the corner of her eye. He sat in the passenger's seat silently, shifting every once in a while. Lucifer followed Angel as she climbed in his lap. She was purring for once. He almost chuckled darkly, thinking that she was purring because he was dying from boredom and annoyance.

Heaven was going up a hill, and as soon as the truck started down the hill, there was another sharp turn. She hadn't noticed at first, zoning out a little, and he took the wheel with one hand, turning for her. She blinked and looked over at him. He looked back at her for a moment with a blank expression, and then let go of the wheel and looked back towards the road when she gripped it tighter. Once they passed through a lane of trees at the bottom of the hill, they were hitting 80 on the speedometer. He noticed blue and red blinking lights that were coming from a driveway.

"Heaven," he said in a warning tone. "I need to drive now."

"Why?" Heaven asked, speeding up slightly.

"Slow down!" he said, taking the wheel. It was too late; the police car pulled out of the drive way as they passed, turning its sirens on. He cursed under his breath and let go of the wheel. "Speed up."

Heaven sped up, glancing at him. She looked worried; like she was afraid she might have made him mad. He smiled at her reassuringly, even though he was scared for them. If Heaven was caught, he could never forgive himself. The police would get to him before they got to her. "Do you want the wheel now?" Heaven asked, her voice shaking.

Jake nodded and slid across the seat, ignoring Angel's protests as she jumped back down on the floorboard. Heaven climbed over him after he put his arm around her, gripping the wheel. Once she was across his lap, he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. "Put on your seat belt," he ordered, clicking on his own seat belt. Heaven watched what he was doing and did the same, clicking her seat belt into place.

A little further up ahead, he spotted a hidden dirt road that went off to the right. He glanced in the rear view mirror. The police car was hidden behind some trees on a curve in the road. He spotted the headlights as soon as he jerked the wheel. The truck tilted as he pulled onto the road, a cloud of dust forming behind them. He didn't hesitate before driving through some trees instead of staying on the road. He kept driving and turning until they were behind a couple of bushes. He turned off the truck and waited.

"What are you doing?" Heaven asked. He looked at her and put his finger to his lips. She nodded and went silent. He could hear the sirens off in the distance, heading past them on the dirt road. He unbuckled the seat belt and opened his door slowly. Heaven unbuckled hers as well and climbed across the seat as he climbed out. "Are we out of gas?" she asked.

"We can't risk being heard if the police are still nearby. We would have been out of gas in the next few miles anyway," he explained quietly, craning his neck so he could peer over the bushes. He didn't see the police car or hear the sirens. "Come on." He held out his hand and helped her climb out. As usual, Lucifer and Angel didn't think twice before they jumped out and stood beside Heaven's feet. He smiled to himself.

They didn't bother to close the door and snuck past a few trees. He pressed himself to one of the trees and glanced around as they came closer to the dirt road. He spotted the police car coming back, two men looking around as the car snuck forward slowly. He pulled Heaven down and they waited behind the bushes. He heard the man stop the car and call his partner over. They must have spotted the tracks the truck left in the grass. Jake peered around the tree again, watching as the second police man left the car. Jake licked his lips impatiently, sweating a little. The keys were still in the ignition and it was their only chance of getting out of here.

"Wait here," he ordered Heaven silently. She nodded and he stood up, sneaking around the tree slowly. He watched as the police men disappeared into the trees further down the road.

"Okay, come on," he said more calmly. His hands were shaking as he grabbed Heaven's wrist gently. She was looking at him with slightly widened eyes. She realized he was scared and it must have made her feel nervous. She glanced back behind her, almost tripping over a rock. He steadied her and they jogged toward the police car. He opened the door and hissed at the cats to hurry up. They jumped in and he opened the back door for Heaven. Once she was in, he slammed the door and jumped in the car as fast as he could and slammed his door. The police men came running back, waving their arms and shouting at them. He didn't think twice before flooring it. They took off as one of the police men pulled out his gun and shot at them. "Put your head down!" Jake shouted at Heaven.

Jake looked between the seats as he drove, glancing back and forth from the road to the guns and ammo that laid there. He wiped his forehead, sweating badly. "They might have called in some backup," he muttered. Heaven was still hunched over, holding both of her hands to her head. "You can sit up now." He turned the rear view mirror and watched as she sat up.

"You were shaking," she said. She looked a little pale. "It scared me." She was almost surprised to say it aloud, he thought. Maybe she wasn't used to her feelings for him just yet.

"You're just worried about me," he finally said. "I'm fine now. We're going to be okay." He was trying to be assuring, but he wasn't sure if it was working.

"When can I sit up front with you and my cats?" she asked a few moments later.

"Soon, when I think we're safe enough to stop." Jake just hoped that backup wasn't nearby, and he hoped that where ever they went, they would be safe and unknown. He still doubted it; they would have to travel out of state.

_Tom_

"Hold on, slow down," Tom repeated for the last time. "What happened?" He looked at Beth as he listened closely. She mouthed a question, but he ignored it, focusing on the officer on the other end of the line. "Alright, thank you. Yes, yes, we appreciate it very much. Yeah. Bye." He hung up and sighed heavily, wiping sweat from his brow.

"What's going on?" Beth asked, practically hopping up and down in excitement.

He gave her a look and shook his head, muttering to himself before answering. "A couple of officers were following a truck for speeding, and their car was stolen when they left it to look for the suspects."

"Heaven and Jake?" Beth's eyes almost lit up when she asked.

"I think so. They ran out and saw a kid slamming the front door. They shot at the car as he drove off." He lifted his hat and scratched his head.

"They better not of hurt her!" Beth said, slamming her coffee mug down on his desk. She was gripping it so tightly that her finger tips were turning white.

Tom held his hands up as if to surrender and tried to calm her. "They weren't trying to kill anyone. They were just trying to blow one of the tires," he put his hands down as her grip loosened on the mug. "I told you that they weren't sure if it was them." He watched her expression change from anger to sadness to confusion. He felt pity for the woman right now, even though he knew he shouldn't. She wasn't crazy, but maybe hanging around that asylum for so long was taking its toll on her…


	9. Chapter 9

**Snakes, Snails, and Kitty Cat Tails**

_Jake_

"Where are we going now?" Heaven asked as she settled into the front seat. Jake had pulled over after about an hour of driving. It was starting to get dark and they were low on gas again.

"I don't know," he answered with a sigh. "Want to go camping?"

"Camping?" Heaven's eyes lit up. "Okay."

"Okay, hold on." He popped the trunk and got out of the car. Heaven waited in the car and played with Lucifer who wasn't paying much attention to Angel for once. Jake smirked as Angel glared at Lucifer. He lifted the trunk and looked through it until he found a large flashlight. As for blankets, they would have to use their coats and find a soft spot in some grass. He was pretty sure that Heaven wouldn't mind the bugs. He went back to the front after slamming the trunk down. Heaven looked back at him with big eyes, but smiled the next second. He smiled back and opened the door, letting the cats out as he leaned in and grabbed the gun sitting on the floorboard. "You ready?" he asked. Heaven nodded and got out of the car.

"What is that?" Heaven asked, looking at the gun.

"A shotgun," Jake answered. "I'm sure you've seen guns at home. The guards carry around smaller ones," he looked at her questioningly.

She nodded after a few moments. "Are they called shotguns too?"

"Nah, those are pistols." He kept a good grip on it and started walking further up the road. "We're going to travel a while away from the car, so the police don't find us when we're sleeping."

"And if they do?" she asked.

"I guess I'll be forced to use the shotgun," he answered with a shrug.

They continued walking up the road until the car was barely in view. He took Heaven's arm and turned her towards the trees off to the right. She looked up at him for a moment and then started walking. They went around a couple of bushes and walked a small ways through the trees. Once Jake felt that they would be safe, he stopped Heaven and sat down in some decent grass and leaned against a tree. Heaven settled down beside him and rested her head on his chest. He was silent, thinking how she could hear his heart. It always sped up whenever she touched him.

He wanted to listen to her heart for once, just to know that it was still there. She could act like she didn't know what feelings were all she wanted, but it was there. He just had to verify it. He grasped her wrists gently and pulled her back. She looked up at him in curiosity, but he ignored her reaction and laid her back on the grass. "Jake," she said, sounding startled. He rested his ear against her chest and felt her warmth. He also heard a soft pounding and leaned closer, pressing his cheek between her breasts. It rose and fell as he listened to her breathing and the beating of her heart. It was pounding now, speeding up.

"You have a heart, Heaven," he murmured. She didn't answer, but he knew that she heard him. He closed his eyes and listened as the fast beating became a lullaby. He fell asleep shortly after while Heaven ran her fingers through his hair absently and the cats curled up together between them, tickling his stomach with their soft purring.

It felt like minutes later, but he woke to Heaven's whimpering. He lifted his head and looked at her. Her eyes were closed and her fists were balled, resting on either side of her head in the grass. He lightly pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. She was warm, but she had a cold sweat. He shook her gently and her eyes opened as she quickly sat up. Her hair was tangled and she looked very tired. "It's okay," he cooed. "It was just a nightmare." He held her to his chest. The rest of her body was cold and she was trembling. He swiftly took off his jacket and put it over her and pulled her into his lap.

Leaning back against the tree, he rested her head against his shoulder and whispered good dreams to her. She had just started to fall asleep when she cried out and slapped something away from her leg. Jake looked around and asked, "What is it?"

"Something cold," she said in a small voice. She reminded him of a small child. He pulled her legs up to his thigh and held onto them. He knew it was a snake, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her that.

"It was just curios," he said, getting up. He was surprised it didn't strike at her after she had slapped it away like that. He leaned back against the tree. He wanted to rub his eyes and yawn, but he held back. She felt heavier when he was tired, and he hadn't eaten all day so he was hungry too. "Do you want to sleep somewhere else?"

Heaven started to answer when he felt something cold and slimy brush against his neck, and then it stuck to him. He set Heaven's legs down and brought his hand up to the snail that was making its way down his shoulder under his shirt. He felt grossed out, but he pulled it off of his shoulder and tossed it on the ground. Angel was quick to snatch it up. Lucifer watched as she chewed on it and he started purring. They must have been hungry too. He regretted leaving the car behind, and he was worried that someone might have spotted it already.

"What was that?" Heaven was asking.

"Just a snail," he answered absently. "They're harmless, but they're also gross."

She giggled a little and asked, "Why are they gross?"

"They're really slimy," he said with a smile, looking at her now. He could hardly see the features of her face, but he didn't have to. He remembered them perfectly and pictured them now while looking at her. "You want to feel?" Her eyes widened and she shook her head quickly, causing Jake to laugh. They both stayed quiet for several moments before he felt the snake slithering up his shoe, its head pushing into his pant leg. He kept calm and asked, "Do you want to go back to the car?" Before the snake could tangle itself around his ankle, he kicked it off. Heaven looked around in the darkness for a moment before nodding. "I guess you don't like camping," Jake said with a small chuckle.

"I did until the bugs came out," Heaven said quietly. Jake wanted to hug her tightly to his chest and baby her sometimes because she sounded so innocent. He carried her back to the side of the road cautiously, always watching for passing cars. Luckily the road was vacant while they made their way to the car. He was surprised the police weren't here searching for them yet. He laid Heaven in the backseat and covered her with his jacket. Her frail looking body was covered easily, but he noticed that she was slightly thinner than when they first met. He frowned in frustration and closed the door. He let the cats in the car and climbed in the driver's seat. "Are you driving?" Heaven asked sleepily.

"Yeah, we have to keep moving or they'll find us," Jake answered. His eyes were heavy, but he started the car and put it into drive, continuing down the road. Within minutes they passed the bushes they had walked around earlier that day. He looked at the clock on the dash board. It read 3:48am. He yawned and sped up until he reached the speed limit. He mentally slapped himself for stopping to camp anyway. He had just wanted Heaven to experience something new and enjoy the time that they had together. He didn't want to worry about the police anymore, but they had set this up for themselves. He didn't regret doing any of that if he was doing it with Heaven. Whatever made her happy, he would do it perfectly. He gripped the wheel tighter with one hand and rubbed his eyes with the other.

After another two hours on the road, he was starting to nod off and finally stopped in a drive way of some large house. They were in a swampy area of the country now, and it had a creepy feel to it. He got out of the driver's side of the car and climbed in the back with Heaven, leaving the cats in the front. For a few minutes, he was kept awake by Lucifer's loud purring and Angel's claws scratching against the thin metal bars that separated the front and back seats. He shushed them and closed his eyes, squeezing himself between Heaven and the back of the seat. He hugged her close and rested his head on her chest again, falling asleep to her steady heartbeat.

_Beth_

"We really need to find them," Beth muttered into her mug. She sipped her coffee while Tom watched her through his sun glasses. Why he was wearing them at six o'clock in the morning, she didn't know.

"It's out of our hands for now," Tom said. He gave her an exaggerated sigh before continuing. "We need to let the police do their job down there."

"They have no leads!" Beth argued, setting her cup down. That's all they'd really been doing ever since she had tried to catch Jake and Heaven herself. They didn't even smile at each other anymore, though she did catch him watching her more often. She would look back at him and he would turn back to his paperwork. She took a breath and looked down at her mug. "I'm going home."

Tom's expression was unreadable. He looked tired. "That's a surprise," he said. "I get the feeling that I shouldn't let you go home."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I see those little wheels in your brain turning," he said, standing to walk around the desk. He leaned back against it and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You don't have any right to keep me here," Beth said smugly. "And besides," she continued. "I wasn't thinking about that until you brought it up. She smirked then, and his expression hardened slightly.

"You're going to get yourself killed if you don't be careful," he warned.

"Is that a threat?" she asked.

"No, it's a fact." She could feel his glare through his sun glasses and shrunk back slightly.

"I can handle myself," she mumbled and took another sip.

"Oh really?" he asked, stepping closer. "It didn't look that way when Jake had his arm against your throat."

She replayed the situation in her mind for a couple of moments and then said, "He caught me off guard."

Tom scoffed and shook his head, smiling. "He's stronger than you are, and they're both dangerous." Beth stood up and stepped closer, hoping to look intimidating, but Tom didn't step back. His smile faded and he looked more _intimate_ than _intimidated_. She felt annoyed for a brief second and then realized what he was doing. He pulled her to him and kissed her. His lips were pressed tightly to hers, like it was full of anger, but at the same time she could feel the passion. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed back.

_Heaven_

Heaven woke up to a tap on the window. She felt Jake's head on her chest as he snored softly, tightening his arm around her waist to pull her closer. She looked out the window and saw a man in his twenties. He looked at her curiously, obviously disapproving of Jake sleeping in the same seat. She shook Jake until his eyes flew open and he sat up. He looked at the man and whispered, "Stay here."

"Okay," she mumbled as he climbed out of the car. She watched as they talked for a few minutes and then Jake opened the door while the man started walking towards his house.

"Okay, he doesn't know about us yet, so we're staying here. We're going to get some food and good rest until he learns about us. What we do from there, you can decide." He explained everything quickly, tucking the gun under the seat. "He didn't ask how we got the car, but when he does, I'll have something figured out. I told him that we're siblings so we can sleep in the same room. I need to keep an eye on you and keep you safe."

Heaven took all of this in while he pulled her across the seat towards him. Her legs were hanging out of the door and he kissed her forehead, glancing towards the house. The screen door was closing behind the man as Jake pressed his lips to hers momentarily and pulled her out of the car gently. "How long do you think he will let us stay?" Heaven asked.

"I don't know. We might not have to leave," Jake answered.

"He looks like…" Heaven stared towards the screen door. "A better version of my daddy."

Jake was silent while he opened the front door, letting the cats hop out onto the drive way. He took her hand after closing the door and they walked to the front door, careful not to let the screen door slam behind them when they went inside. The man was standing in the other room, talking to someone. Heaven stood there for several moments before Jake gently pulled on her hand. They snuck toward the doorway to the other room where the man was. She looked around the room, taking in the different shades of yellow and green. Her eyes passed over a woman who looked to be younger than the man by a few years. She caught Heaven's eye and smiled briefly.

Heaven knew she made the woman feel uncomfortable. She kept her eyes on the floor for some time until the Jake started talking. "I'm Jake, and this is my sister, Heaven," he answered the man's questions. "I'm seventeen and she's sixteen."

"Where are you kids from again?" the woman asked.

"We-" Jake started to make up an excuse, but even they could see that he was having trouble.

"Somewhere terrible," Heaven said, looking at the man with her innocent eyes; something she found that worked often with men. "We don't have parents."

The man and woman exchanged glances. Jake added to the story, "We lost them in a car accident along the way here. We've been walking for two days and found an empty police car. We had to get to town somehow." His eyes seemed to plead with them as if he was asking for forgiveness like he did something terribly wrong and showed all of his lost innocence.

They bought it. The woman's face changed from curiosity to worry and the man's changed from suspecting to wonder, deep creases forming in his forehead as he became more worried. "Your orphans now?" he asked, looking like he wanted nothing more than to hug the both of them. They both nodded and they seemed to have been drowned in a sudden wave of depression, sorrow, and remorse.

A sudden bang of the door caused Heaven and Jake to turn their heads, catching sight of a kid wearing all black walking through the door way behind them. He looked at Jake for a few moments, and then looked at Heaven. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he looked at her throat with greedy eyes. Jake stiffened next to Heaven and took her hand.

"Jake, Heaven, this is my son, Adam," the man said. "And my name is Daniel and this is my wife, Michelle."

"Hey, dad," Adam said with a little wave of his hand. He dragged his eyes from Heaven and stared at his father. No hint of a smile touched his face as he looked at his mother next. "Hey, mom."

"Hi, sweetheart," Michelle returned warmly. "How was your day?"

"It was alright." He looked bored of talking to her.

"Where were you?" Daniel asked after a few moments, looking stern again.

"You know where." Adam sneered and turned to go up the stairs that were in the corner of the room beside Heaven. She watched him as he started walking up.

"Jake and Heaven will be staying here for a little while," Daniel called after his son. "Get the guest room cleaned up for them."

"We can help out," Jake suggested, still keeping a good grasp on his innocence. Both of the parents smiled and nodded. Heaven followed Jake upstairs where Adam was hanging out in front of one of the doors.

"Planning on sucking up?" he asked.

"I just need to talk to my sister," Jake said, keeping his eyes locked on Adam.

"Your sister, huh?" Adam asked, smiling in Heaven's direction.

Jake ignored Adam and waited for him to move out of the way, opening the door to the guest room. Heaven heard Adam inhale deeply as she passed and shivered. She looked back at him and he gave her a full smile, showing his sharp canines. She stared as Jake turned and closed the door with a dark glare. He turned to her and wrapped his arms around her for a few moments. She hugged him and rested her cheek on his chest.

"We forgot about Lucifer and Angel," he mumbled.

Heaven's eyes widened slightly and she pulled away from him and opened the door. "I have to go get them!" She rushed out and saw Adam watching her out of the corner of her eye. She ran down the stairs and outside, scooping the cats up in her arms. She kissed their heads gently and smiled. Angel meowed at her angrily as if to say, "I can't believe you forgot us!" while Lucifer purred, happy that they hadn't been forgotten after all.

She made her way back inside, trying to balance the cats in her arms. Daniel and Michelle weren't in the living room anymore, she noticed. She lugged the cats upstairs, Angel meowing at her in protest every step of the way. She shushed Angel and Lucifer's purring quieted instead while the meowing got louder. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Michelle is allergic to cats." Adam's voice made her jump and she looked up at him as he peered at her from the railing at the top of the stairs.

"Lucifer and Angel are good cats," she protested innocently.

He smiled. "Lucifer and Angel?"

"Yeah. They like me," she said as she patted Lucifer's head, making Angel meow louder, her ears going back as she hissed.

"I don't think that one likes you."

"She follows me everywhere." Heaven's voice was whiny now as she pouted. "I'll show you." She set the cats down and started sneaking up the stairs. Lucifer nuzzled against Angel briefly before he leaped up onto the next step. Angel sat there for a few moments as if she was having a tantrum, but she looked from Lucifer to Heaven and started climbing the stairs as well. Heaven giggled when she reached the top and they both circled around her feet.

Jake opened the door and waited for her to walk inside, keeping his eyes on Paul. Heaven didn't pay much attention to the sparks that were flying. She picked Lucifer up, causing Angel to hiss, and hugged him as she walked to the bed. Jake must have found the blankets and made the bed. She looked around, wiggling her toes against the white carpet. The walls were just as white, and in a way it reminded her of home. The only difference was the carpet.


End file.
